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<title>James McNeely: The Weirdest Showcase Performer by lionel234</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114179">James McNeely: The Weirdest Showcase Performer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionel234/pseuds/lionel234'>lionel234</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:06:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,706</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114179</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionel234/pseuds/lionel234</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when a 16 year old male singer gets thrusted into the Pokemon world out of nowhere? Why, you go and do showcases and have a boat load of fun! What could possibly go wrong? Join James and his crazy adventures throughout the Kalos region! </p><p>It’ll be hopefully be somewhat better than My Immortal! So, what are you waiting for? Read it!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Toys In the Attic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Creator’s Note: I honestly created this out of boredom. God help me. This probably going to be really bad, as this is my first ever piece of work. If you still want to read it, then just read it I guess</p><p>Note: As of now, I am reworking all 11 chapters. Chapter 12 to come out... maybe in a week and a half?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Lights, voices scream, nothing seen, real’s a dream</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Leaving the things that are real behind<br/>Leaving the things that you love from mind<br/>All of the things that you learned from fears<br/>Nothing is left for the years”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aerosmith, Toys in the Attic, 1975</em>
</p><p> </p><p><br/>James’s POV:</p><p>I woke up at around 6:30 to the bustling city streets of London. I moved here three years ago, after America fell into a civil war, and we had to escape. Why did that happen? I honestly don’t know. But that’s not important. I made my favorite breakfast- two slices of toast with some “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!”. I really don’t know why I like the stuff. I ate, said love you to my parents, and left to go to school. I hate that. I just want to be home. Almost everyone hates me. Mainly because I’m kinda... how should I say it? Unique? Don’t fit in? You see, I’m a performer and singer. I actually was pretty good and well known back home in Vegas, my former hometown. I did acts a lot of the time. Then, I moved here. Now, I’m not like a theater kid or anything. I just like the stuff. But, people here just really don’t seem to like performers and what not. Also, I kind of try <em>wayyyyyyyy </em>too hard to make friends. People think of me as kind of creepy. Which, to a fair point I get. I really try to be nice. I really do. The only friend from school I have is a boy I know in America that I talk to most of my free time. It just sucks knowing that almost no one likes you. Depressing, really.</p><p>My name’s James McNeely. Yes, that is probably the weirdest name you could’ve given to a child. I’m around 5’10, 16 years old, has brown hair, brown eyes, and have absolutely no good looks! Well, some delusional people think I do when I wear a suit. If I had to describe myself... look up Josh Dubovie. He’s a famous person around here these days. Last I heard, he was a mindset coach after he got his mental health together after a horrible performance sent him into a depression. Appearance wise, I’m pretty much like him. Personality wise... yea, I’m kind of weird. My personality is enough to scare any chance of me getting a girl away. I don’t really like talking to people these days, like making the first move kind of stuff. I used to be way, <em>way</em> worse a year ago. Trust me. You do not want to talk to me during that time. Let’s just say two years of an emotional downward spiral happened where egregiously bad things happened, like a chain of events.</p><p>I walked down the street to my school. There’s the usual ads and whatnot that try to sell you random shit because hey, capitalism. There was however, a colorful ad that caught my eye. </p><p>”<em>Pokémon Renaissance and Revolution: Join the adventure everyone has been waiting for in Grandezza! 80 New Pokémon! Battle Team Esesta! More features than ever! ALL OF THE POKÉMON ARE BACK! Comes out 27/07/24!”</em></p><p><em>Huh.</em> They’re still at it creating new games. I do remember my uncle giving me a copy of Pokemon Y once. I also remember that I had some Pikachu toys in my attic. I never really got to it. I’m into other stuff. Gravity Falls, South Park, Keroro Gunso... those are my things. Pokemon just isn’t. But, I will admit that it would be cool to see Pokemon in real life. It’s basically a real life Tamadochi! But cuter, I guess. However, I just wonder- how in the bloody hell have they lasted this long?! They were just some 90’s fad that got amazingly popular and lasted longer. But <em>28 </em><em>years?!</em> Good God. Yay, capitalism. </p><p>I arrive at school. Thankfully, the bullying isn’t so bad today. It was just that no one talked to me. I don’t really like talking about school, it’s just seven hours of actual hell. I’ll just leave it at that. People keep saying to me “Hey, nul pointer? Fucking loser.” at me. </p><p>I probably should mention that I’m a big time performer! Yes, your boy performs in some big shows. Occasionally. Last time I did was like... I don’t know, a West End Heathers production I believe? I’m basically like, I don’t know, Shirley Temple? Andrew Rannells but less gay? I performed a few small time hits in local bars (Vegas didn’t care too much about children playing in bars these days) playing the piano, guitar, drums, and dancing. I actually have somewhat of a talent for that? Best piece I can play? Any Metallica, Rush, or really any popular 70’s/80’s song will do. No, I’m not a junkie. To an extent, I love musicals and um... there’s this thing called Eurovision which is my <em>ultimate</em> guilty pleasure. Most of the songs are so campy and bad, that it’s so good to watch! Well, I competed <em>in </em>Eurovision once. Well, the one they have for kids which is called <em>Junior Eurovision. </em>Creative name, I know. Well, we moved here in London in 2021. Considering that I was in the age requirements and I actually had talent, I entered. Unfortunately... I couldn’t create it. A producer from the BBC gave me a pre recorded song that sounded awful that I had to play. I still won the National Competition, somehow.</p><p>Then, came the big Eurovision stage in France! It was fun seeing all the towers, but to be honest I knew I wasn’t going to win. I had a shit song, the United Kingdom always sends in shit songs! The producers always create the shittiest somngs! It wasn’t my fault. I tried to work with it. I mean, ever heard of Josh Dubovie? Scooch? They exist. Josh was a talented singer, but the BBC gave him a shit song and some Ikea furniture to work with. He got last in the Grand Final. What did you expect me to do? Win? But, to be fair I did expect to get at least <em>one</em> point.</p><p>Nope. I got... zero points. I’m a fucking disgrace to my country! In a Junior Eurovision? In all honesty, I did expect it, but I, too, was ashamed. When I got back home... my fellow classmates shamed me, everyone didn’t want to talk to me, and I was made a mockery in the media. Depression set in. Why? Why did I have to be the one that was horrible? That kind of set off a spark of me going into a deeper and deeper hole of depression and sadness. I’ll talk about that later.</p><p>Where was I? Oh, after school shenanigans. After the hell that is school, it’s my favorite part of the day. Performance rehearsals! I actually have friends there, and it’s a great place to let out my frustrations at people. </p><p>My dad had decided to take me to singing rehearsals. I got in the car, not caring about school for the day. I didn’t bother to put on my seatbelt, because hey, the place where I go for rehearsals is only 10 minutes away.<em> What’s the worst that can happen?</em></p><p>It felt like just another normal day. Actually, today felt pretty good compared to the rest. I was having a bad month. I felt pretty awful and depressed the whole day, and was just trying to hide the pain. Why? Let’s just say some more bad things happened. I’m probably one of most unluckiest people in the world. My dad stepped on the throttle and off we went to my place. One where people understood me.</p><p>
  <em>Until today.</em>
</p><p>There was no traffic on the road that day. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then, my dad looked and proceeded to talk to me. Guess he got more bored than me. “James, how was school?”</p><p>“Not too bad today. Just boring to be honest.”</p><p>“Oh c’mon, it can’t be that bad. You gotta learn something at least.“</p><p>”Not really. English we had a sub and we barely did anything, math too, and choir was well, choir. French barely taught me anything, thanks to Madame Wither. Theatre was the only thing interesting. Got to sing the Cell Block Tango.” Gay energy for the win, even though I’m straight. Just a fun pleasure.</p><p>”Ah, that’s not boring then! So, you excited for-“ My head is stuck with the stupid “Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh! Cicero, Lipschitz! He had it coming, he had it coming...” and I tune Dad out. It replays in my head. I’m in dreamworld now. My dad also seems to be... a bit off. He seems kind of sleepy. Don’t blame him, this trip has been boring. At least we’re almost there now, about 3 minutes away. We both kind of doze off. I only got around 6 hours of sleep today. But, just about the I fully close eyes and sleep for three minutes... </p><p>I vaguely spot something that seems to be on the road. It looks strange at first. A bit blurry. My eyes finally focus on it. It’s brown, on four legs, has antlers and staring at us.</p><p><em>It’s standing in the middle of the road.</em> </p><p><em>Our car is about to hit it at 60 miles an hour</em>. </p><p>
  <em>We’re practically just meters away from it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shit. </em>
</p><p>IT’S A DEER! </p><p>“HOLY SHIT LOOK OUT!” As all humans would usually do, he swerved and tried to avoid the deer. I never expected what was to happen next. My life would change forever. He lost control. The car veered to the left with an extreme force. The car slid on, and and my dad tried to save it, in vain. I’m trying to hang on to the seat. Then, I feel a drastic drop. I see a ditch. Our car lands in that ditch. At that exact moment, I realized that I forgot to wear my seatbelt.</p><p>“<em>Oh shit, not good.”</em></p><p>I felt a force throwing me forward violently and rapidly. I got thrown out of the car, smashing into the windshield, because I was stupid enough not to wear a seatbelt. My eyes shut, my brain felt dead. My head proceeded to have a massive headache. But, that wouldn’t matter, would it? Then opened just in enough time to see this circle, one with colors I had never seen before, and I was heading straight towards it. I again closed my eyes, preparing for the end. All my memories with my parents, friends, all the good and horrible things, coming to an end. It felt almost surreal. Is this the portal to Heaven?  16 years, and I’d meet my maker? My parents would never see me again, and my few friends. I was shocked that it would end this way. Well, there it is. 16 years of living all ended too early. All because I didn’t wear a seatbelt. This is it. This is my final moments on Earth. Our blue planet. I don’t want to leave. But, I’m preparing for the worst. I have to.</p><p>“<em>Goodbye, world...”</em></p><p>I wait for a few seconds, waiting with nerve wracking anticipation for the impact and death. I wait. And wait. Milliseconds pass. Seconds pass. My mind is still anticipating it. But I hit <em>nothing</em>. “What the hell?” I thought. That can’t be right at all. I opened my eyes. What I saw is beyond my comprehension. All I saw was a mesmerizing array of colors I’d never seen before, and I noticed I was floating. At first, I was in complete shock. Like if your parents died. I stood still. It lasted for a minute. Then, I broke from the shock. I wondered about how in the hell I was going to get out. But, no dice, as I’m pretty sure I had already went far enough into this loophole to the point where I can’t get out. At that point, it hit me. I was stuck in a wormhole, never to see anyone from the real world again. I never even got to say “I love you” to my relatives, my friends, just hang out with them again. All because I was too careless. I started to weep in the loophole. A lot. The thought of never seeing them again just put me into a paralyzed mode, and I just about cried the whole damn way. I’d never see them again...</p><p>Time kept marching on. I was in there for what felt like an eternity. Then, I saw myself change. My legs had turned into an animated figure, then my body, my arms. The hell? After around ten minutes, I saw another hole. One that led to what seemed to be going towards the daylight. As I got closer, I saw buildings, lots of buildings. Another minute passed. I was nearing the end. I said in a quiet voice, “Is this Heaven, God?” before immediately being thrown out and rolling on a lush field of grass and trees. Shit, I thought I was going to land in a city or something. “What in the...” Turns out I just landed NEXT to the city. I heard people talking, and the peaceful sounds of natures. I saw a sign that said “Welcome to Lumiose City, City of Lights and Home to the Prism Tower!” Is this the city of Heaven?</p><p>I looked around. I saw animated people with big eyes and anime like features. The trees were animated and very cartoonish. The buildings look about the same, but... where in the hell did I land? It all felt very surreal. Is this what God thinks is heaven? I mean, I landed in a pretty nice spot. The nature was quite beautiful. The city looked nice. But then again, I had just lost my family. My few friends that I somehow had. My family would never see me again. No one could hear me talk, sing, or do anything with me again. That didn’t hit me yet. I thought I had died. At least that was a better process than what had I thought death would be like. Actually, no. This can’t be it. Did I just go into another world? Did I just take a portal? No way. No f*cking way. All I could think was... “What in the actual fu-“</p><p>“Jigglypuff!”</p><p>“GAH- WHAT THE HELL?!? WHO ARE YOU?!”  WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!</p><p>I turn around, scared as hell. This... thing just talked to me. It had a sort of surprised emotion on its face. “Puff?”</p><p>“WHAT ARE YOU- Oh, that’s actually... aww, that’s cute.?” I saw this... creature with just pink everywhere, with big eyes and practically a circle. I have to admit, it did look pretty cute. Probably the cutest creature I had seen. It had cute big eyes and it was just a pink fluffball. It had the most charming voice. I think this might be an alien. Is it trying to deceive me by being cute and then it will kill me? Nah, that’s messed up. Maybe it knows how to speak English? I’m desperate. I’ll try.</p><p>“Um... do you know how to speak English?”</p><p>“Puff?”</p><p>“Well, shit. I guess that’s a no,” I thought. Should’ve known. Why in the hell would a creature like that speak English? I guess I’ll try to speak its language. What did it say again? Jiggly and puff, right? Let’s try that. Maybe that’ll work? “Umm... jiggly... puff puff?”</p><p>“Jiggly... PUFF!” It said with a angry voice. It scoffed, turned around, and flew away to the heavens, to be probably never seem again. </p><p>“OH NONONONO I’M SORRY-“ Well, I just made the cutest creature I had ever seen mad. Off to a great start. And it flew away. Nice job, dick face.</p><p>I lay in shock over my experiences. I had just went from the real world to this strange anime world within 15 minutes. That has to be the answer. I didn’t feel like I died. This can not be happening. This all has to be a dream, right? After just taking a minuscule part of it in, I figured I had to do something. So, I decided to walk towards this so called “Lumiose City.” It looks very familiar to Paris, but I guess more modern. I still had a lot of questions. “Where am I? What is this world? Who are these people?” And a shit ton more. While I’m walking around, I see strange creatures mingling with humans. An alive keychain. A vanilla ice cream cone. A strange poodle. A white fairy. An electric mouse. And there were more like it! This is something that a mad scientist would come up. And they were just there, mingling with humans like it’s a regular damn day. I mean, I’ve seen a Razzle Dazzle Dorito before, but that was on the damn Disney Channel, and once again, I never thought I would actually be in their world. This is the stuff little kids dream about. Or Harry Potter shifters.</p><p>Out of the corner of my eye, I see a creature that looks very familiar. “Wait, is that a Pikachu-“</p><p>That’s a Pokemon, right? Oh nononononono. That’s not right... Pokemon’s just a idea created by people in Japan who thought fighting animals was a good idea for capitalism! That’s not real! It’s fiction! This is a dream, right? This can’t be happening...</p><p>I pinch myself once. I don’t wake up. Twice. Nope. Three, four, five times. Still, nothing. Holy mother of God... did I just do the unthinkable? I entered a fictional world? For real? I look around more. I look, and see a Bulbasaur. The only other Pokemon I actually know. I walk up to it, it’s being held by it’s owner.</p><p>”Hey, you don’t mind if I can touch it? Just for... stuff.”</p><p>”<em>Sure! Why not?”</em> </p><p>I almost relented at first. <em>How could this be real? This can’t be right. </em>But, with sheer doubt in my mind, I let my hand move closer and closer to it. Slowly, but surely. My hand shaked wildly. It was nervewracking. I thought it could kill me. Then, my finger touched. It felt... furry. Unreal. My brain shattered into a million pieces, thoughts racing through my head. My second finger touched, and then another. Then the fourth, and the final. My palm was the last to touch it. <em>No. That can’t be...</em> I’m actually touching it! With my hand! I rub it with my palm. It seems to be relaxed, enjoying it.  </p><p>“<em>Holy shit, I just did the unthinkable.”</em></p><p>That’s when I realized that I had entered the Pokemon world. I was in absolute shock, but something told me that this would be fun. My brain is stupid. I had lost all of my family, friends, and everything on Earth, but this is fun? Really? As far as I knew, Pokemon was essentially Michael Vick Simulator where you made animals fight until they “faint”. Uh huh. <em>Righhttttttt</em>. But never did I actually expect to be transported INTO the Pokemon world. Great, do I have to make animals fight now? All while losing my family?</p><p>I walk around the city, asking people for help. For the first time in my life, I feel truly helpless. I have no idea what I’m doing, no idea where to go, nothing. In a world where everyone was walking to somewhere, knowing where they were going, I was standing in disbelief, confusion, and shock.</p><p><em>How am I going to get out of this? How am I going to get back to my family?</em> <em>How am I going to live my life?</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Desperation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“This is Major Tom to Ground Control<br/>I'm stepping through the door<br/>And I'm floating <br/>in a most peculiar way<br/>And the stars look very different today<br/><br/>For here<br/>Am I sitting in a tin can<br/>Far above the world<br/>Planet Earth is blue<br/>And there's nothing I can do”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>David Bowie, Space Oddity, 1969</em>
</p><p>James’ POV:</p><p>“Hello? Guys? People? Help me out, please!”</p><p>“Ma’am, could I please ask you some questions, I kinda need some help.”</p><p>“Sir, SIR- crap.”</p><p>A good twenty minutes passed. No luck at all. I try to use my phone, but couldn’t- it got turned into what I could guess is the Pokemon world’s vision of a phone. My contacts were all gone. I can’t even contact my family. I look for something that I could possibly use. Nothing. At least it still had my apps and Youtube. Portals are weird. But that’s literally the least important thing I can think of right now. I’m in an unfamiliar world, and now my only hopes rest on asking these people for help. I can’t tell them I’m from another world- they’ll put me in a damn insane asylum. I have to keep asking. There’s nothing I can do. Keep persisting. Maybe one of them will take pity on me. Another ten minutes passed of me trying to ask people for help. Still, no luck. I felt like I was an absolute idiot. Uncertainly rose. I’m going to die here. There’s no hope for me at this point. I’m all alone. Worthless. Unknown. No one will ever know I died in this strange world. They won’t even see my body. I won’t get a proper burial, no last words, nothing. I’ll die here. <em>Alone. </em>With no one to see it. I’ll decay over years on end, until I become a skeleton and less. No one knows. That’s my worst fear come true. </p><p>I feel worn out and more depressed than I ever been. I keep asking. I just got to. Then, finally: “Ma’am... can I ask you some questions?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, yeah! I’m more than happy to help you out.” Miraculously, after 30 minutes, a girl with a pink hat and a sort of red and pink clothes decided to take pity on me and help me out. Thank God. That’s a sort of silver lining, I guess.</p><p>“OK, you’re going to think I’m insane but... where am I? What country is this? What exactly are Pokemo-“</p><p>“OK, please slow down!” she said with a little but of a laugh at the end. “You’re in the marvelous Lumiose City in Kalos! It’s a beautiful place.”</p><p>“Cool... but what are Pokemon and how do I use ‘em?” James, you’re an absolute idiot. You know damn well what Pokemon are. Even if it is just a vague memory.</p><p>“You don’t know what Pokemon are?”</p><p>“Not really...”</p><p>“Well, they’re these awesome creatures that you can catch! You can battle Pokemon with other people, do these wonderful things called Showcases in which you do performances, baking, quizzes, and more, and-“ Well, that confirms that people in Pokemon are psychopaths. But, something about those Showcases seems interesting... it sounds like a sort of performing contests. At this point, I can’t get out. It feels insane, but I’m going to have to start a new life here. I don’t have any real life skills- I can’t cook for shit, can’t engineer, nothing really. All I <em>have</em> is performing. F*ck it. I have to do this.</p><p>“Showcases? That sounds amazing! How do I join?”</p><p>“Um... First of all, you have to have two Pokemon.” Well. That’s not good. I have to battle Pokemon now?</p><p>“How do I catch one?”</p><p>“Use a PokeBall and hopefully you get one.”</p><p>“Where do I get PokeBalls?”</p><p>“At a PokeMart...”</p><p>“And where’s the nearest PokeMart?”</p><p>“You’re <em>literally</em> standing right next to one.”</p><p>I pause and look up. Welp, I’m a dumbass. Maybe I should’ve looked at a map when I got here. “Oh... well, thanks for all your help! If you excuse me, I’ll be going to buy some PokeBalls.”</p><p>“No problem, hope I helped!”</p><p>Well, that was awkward. She probably thinks I’m a major idiot. Then again, I’m a human who ended up in an anime world. But dang, those showcases seem like fun! I think of songs I could use and performances I could grab inspiration for my own performance. It sounds like Eurovision, but you have to have Pokemon in them. Which, hey, that would be a dream! I always wanted to perform in front of people and be rewarded for it. I had a small stint at a local bar in Vegas before the whole Civil War thing. But, millions of people watch this! I’ll be famous if I’m successful. </p><p>I walked into the PokeMart, and asked for 5 PokeBalls. She did hint that these things aren’t effective.</p><p>“Hey, I’d like 5 PokeBalls, please.”</p><p>“All right, that’ll cost 500 PokeDollars.</p><p>James, you’re in a shop. Of course these were gonna cost some money. Do I even have a single cent? I check my pockets to see if I even have a wallet. I look through both pockets ferociously. Nope. I feel nothing. Well, that’s great! I have no money to start off with. I’m gonna be sleeping on the streets at this rate. Or better yet, die within days!</p><p>“Sir, do you still want them or no-“</p><p>“NOPE I’M GOOD THANK YOU-“ I leave running away, embarrassed. Great! I don’t have any money and I’m screwed! I’m homeless! No food, no housing, no people I know, <em>nothing. </em>I’m in a world full of people, but yet, here I am. In an empty void of uncertainty. </p><p>I need money. <em>Fast. </em>What am I gonna do? I think my options. I could be a beggar. But that probably isn’t the best option. Maybe go as a trainer? Nope, don’t have the heart for that. Plus, not exactly wanting to go on adventures with Ash Ketchup, Brock the Simp and the mean girl. Shit, there’s gotta be something! I think it over for around 5 minutes.</p><p>It hits me. “I need to be a street performer.” At least they get more respect than beggars usually. And make more money. But where could I get an instrument? And again, I don’t have money! I could steal one. Actually, that sounds kinda tempting...</p><p>I decide I have to do what I got to do, and I decide to look for an instrument shop. I see what they have. They have almost everything! Pianos, guitars, violins, brass insturments, etc. I learned a bit of violin in America, maybe I could do that? Nah, too complicated. I see more instruments. There’s drums. I’m actually kind of good at that. My dad was able to teach me. Is this what I want? </p><p>Well, drums it is then. I decide I got to do something to pass the time. I look at a local shop clock occasionally to see the time. I walk around in the free time, pacing the city. I look at the surroundings. Lots of tall buildings. Lots of exotic and strange Pokemon around me. Humans doing their daily lives. The night goes on. Less and less people and Pokemon are on the streets. Lights shutter off on buildings so people can go home. Cars are barely around. The coast is almost clear. I gotta check if anyone’s watching. Around 2 AM, I go back to the music shop. There’s no one there, and one security camera. It’s do or die time. I really can’t believe I’m doing this, but I have to if I want to just <em>live another day.</em></p><p>I make my move. In the corner of my eye, I see a pile of dirt. I put dirt on my face to put on as a sort of mask to go incognito, and also put some on my fingerprints to try and cover it up. I grab a rock with sheer nervousness running through my veins. I try to keep my fingerprints off of it and break a window. I have to make this fast, the alarm system is probably going to ring soon. The milliseconds between me throwing the rock and it hitting the window are filled with suspense so great, you’d never really expect it. As soon as it hits the window, I feel countless feelings. Some of regret, fear, sadness. I can’t believe I really have to do this to this poor person’s shop. But I have to. No matter what. I make a mad dash to the drums, grab it, and run like the wind. My hands touch. I pull it off the shelves and run even faster. I have never ran this fast in my life. I scamper off, going thru the window I broke. Everything has gone silent. I only hear my own breath as I dash farther and farther away. Fear is at an all time high. I turn the corner and see no one there. As soon as I turn, the alarm system goes off. I can’t turn back now, otherwise I’ll be in prison! I have to find somewhere to hide. Maybe an alley? Yep, alleys will do. My eyes move at the speed of light looking for one. I run somewhat slower, but still fast enough that adrenaline is still rushing thru my veins. 30 seconds later, I find one. I stop and go into the darkness, to hopefully be never seen. I look at the entrence of the alley. Nothing. So, I hide til’ the coast is clear. I see cop cars rushing down the street towards the shop. God, I feel awful for that shop owner, but I gotta survive someway. I’ll repay you. Eventually.</p><p>A few minutes pass. The adrenaline eventually wears off. I have no blanket, so I just decide to sleep with my clothes on. Thankfully, it was nice weather, so I was good. I try to close my eyes. I put the drum inside my sweater to hide it from anyone. In one day, I went to school, went to singing rehearsals, got transported to God knows where, met people, got to see strange creatures, and steal from an instrument shop. Very interesting and scary day. After a good 5 minutes or so, I fully close my eyes and go to lala land, I dream about my family, my friends, the things I saw. At the end of it all, I only think one thing:</p><p>
  <em>Why in the hell did this happen to me?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Hard Times, Come Again No More</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”-Rahm Emanuel</em>
</p><p><br/>James’ POV:</p><p>The Sun rises. I wake up to a cacophony of honking, people walking by, just the city life in general. Nothing new, I first lived in Las Vegas, them London before I got thrown into this “Lumiose City”. What is new is just the noises of these Pokemon. I hear sounds I’d never imagine I’d hear in my life. I eventually decide to walk around, maybe find a tourist hotspot that isn’t too guarded by police. I hide the drum under my shirt, thinking that it would help hide it. I’d just look like a major fatty. Hey, I’m technically stealing goods here and I gotta hide it somehow. I also decided to look for a big enough cup on the ground so people can put their donations in. I surprisingly managed to find a cup from this place called “Resturant Le Wow!” which sounds like something they’d use in a children’s cartoon. Then again, I’m IN a children’s cartoon. Should’ve expected that.</p><p>I finally find a place near Prism Tower, which is essentially the Pokemon world’s version of the Eiffel Tower (and a blatant ripoff at that), and sit my ass down. Now, I had to play something. I mean, I did travel to another world. I don’t exactly think that they know songs from Earth. I could play Ievan Polkka for the memes. Hey, it worked for that blind dude and the cat. And, I am surprisingly really good at playing the drums. Sure, let’s try it. Hopefully people haven’t read the news about a person stealing a drum yet.</p><p>I place my hands on top of the drum with me feeling nervousness, shock, and just tiredness. Oh well, gotta do what I gotta do. “And, a 1, 2 3, 4.”</p><p>My hands move. I play a constant, steady beat.</p><p>“Nuapurista kuulu se polokan tahti<br/>jalakani pohjii kutkutti.<br/>Ievan äiti se tyttöösä vahti<br/>vaan kyllähän Ieva sen jutkutti,<br/>sillä ei meitä silloin kiellot haittaa<br/>kun myö tanssimme laiasta laitaan.<br/>Salivili hipput tupput täppyt<br/>äppyt tipput hilijalleen...”</p><p>Damn, this is fun! I could do this all day. Not even halfway into the first stanza, I already had two people put money into my hat! TWO! This is an impressive start. Gotta keep going at this rate.</p><p>“Kottiin ko mäntii ni ämmä se riitelj<br/>ja Ieva jo alako nyyhkyytteek.<br/>Minä sanon Ievalle mitäpä se haittaa<br/>laskemma vielähi laiasta laitaa.”</p><p>Holy shit, I’m making bank! I got twenty people to donate to me and a decent crowd of like, well five people. And, this cat thingy with a amulet on it’s head is just... well... vibing to it. Please tell me there’s someone recording this. I look and there is one. Nice.</p><p>I play it til’ the end. People are cheering, giving me high fives, and holy shit they loved it. But, before I could play another song, I sport a woman in a cop uniform with blue hair.</p><p>“Aw crikey, it’s the Lumiose rozzers!” And I immediately sprint out of there. “Thanks y’all, hope y’all liked it!” I try to find an alley to hide in. After around five minutes in, I’m able to find an alleyway and count the money.</p><p>“100, 200, 400, 500...”</p><p>Jesus, there’s a lot more than I thought it would be.</p><p>“2000, 2100, 2200!” Holy shit, I made 2200 PokeDollars off of one song! This is going well. I can finally get some Pokeballs and maybe even find a hotel to stay in for the night. I go to the PokeMart and buy 5 Pokeballs. Still have 1700 left. Nice. But, of course, another problem arose.</p><p>“WHERE IN THE HELL DO I CATCH POKEMON?!?”</p><p>Shit. Well, now I need to learn. So, I have to ask people on the street. Again. This time with the question “Hey, uh, where do I learn where how to catch Pokemon?” This time, I much quicker response.</p><p>“You know Professor Sycamore? He’ll be able to help you at the Pokemon Laboratory. If you want directions, it’s two blocks down.”</p><p>“Oh, aight then. Thanks so much!”</p><p>Well, at least that person was useful. Well, on my way to meet this Prof. Sycamore dude. Sounds like fun. I find the lab, and enter. The receptionist says to me, “Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Laboratory! Please tell me what you’re here for and I’ll be able to help you.”</p><p>“Yea, I heard that I could learn where and how to catch Pokemon from a man named Prof. Sycamore? Could I get a lesson from him?”</p><p>“Let me check if he’s free to do so.”</p><p>She calls him, and after a brief call of her basically asking if he can teach this dumbass where and how to catch Pokemon, she says “Go to the third floor, you’ll be able to meet him there.”</p><p>“OK, ma’am, thanks for your help.”</p><p>I ride the elevator to the third floor. No music, that sucked. The doors open, and dear God. I have never seen a more French-looking man than him. Wow.</p><p>“Hey, Prof. Sycamore, I came here to-“</p><p>“Oh ho, what do we have here? Another fine future trainer who wants to be a Pokemon Master? Well, you’ve certainly come to the right place! Mon nom: Professor Sycamore, it’s an honor to meet you!”</p><p>Jesus. Dude has such a heavy French accent. Hey, it’ll get the girls I guess.</p><p>“Oh um... hi. I’m James, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Now, I came for two reasons. One, I want to learn how to catch Pokemon. And two, learn where to catch them.”</p><p>“I can certainly help you! Come this way, I’ll show you a map.”</p><p>Now, I’ll just give ya a summary of what he said. Basically, all around the Kalos country, there’s this thing called tall grass that I can catch Pokemon in. There’s around 1000 different types of Pokemon, albeit some can only be found in certain regions. But, the one thing that was important (according to him) was to NEVER GO INTO TALL GRASS WITHOUT A POKEMON. Damnit, I wanted to go full stealth mode! And why in the hell can’t you go into tall grass, where you’re supposed to go CATCH Pokemon, without one Pokemon itself? Oh well.</p><p>“Now, as a special treat, I shall give you your very own starter Pokemon!”</p><p>Oh, shit! This dude is just giving away free fighting creatures. Or, maybe I have to pay for it. That makes more sense- I took time out of this poor man’s say. But either way, this is great! This is one of the two I need to enter contests!</p><p>“This amazing Pokemon is called Fennekin. It’s a-“</p><p>“SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!”</p><p>“Uhm... it’s free.”</p><p>“FREE?!?!”</p><p>“Oui, monsieur! I’ll put it inside a Pokeball for you.” He puts it in and hands me the Pokeball.</p><p>“Wow. That’s amazing! So you’re saying big creatures like Fennekin can be teleported into this tiny ball? That is definitely some weird shit, but nice! Thanks for the help!”</p><p>“No problem- wait what?”</p><p>“Byeeeeeee~“</p><p>“WAIT I STILL HAVE SOMETHING ELSE TO GIVE YOU-“</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“‘Sweet Jesus... ’Ere! It’s a PokeDex. You can use it to track the Pokemon you’ve found.”</p><p>“Huh. Cool. Well, bye.”</p><p>“Au revoir... oh sacre bleu.”</p><p>Well then, that was WAY better than I expected. One more to go. I have to admit, this may not be so bad after all. Who knows, I might compete and hopefully win in what is basically Pokemon’s version of Eurovision. Or, go full Michael Vick and make them fight to beat the Elite Four or something. Maybe I can win a league faster than that Ash dude did. C’mon, 20 years?</p><p>One of these days, James. One of these days.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Three Minutes of Being Ash Ketchup</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>”I want to be the very best, like no one ever was”</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Jason Paige, Gotta Catch ‘Em All/Pokemon Theme Song, 1999<br/></em>
</p><p>Wow. That was... surprisingly easy to get a Pokemon! That Professor Sycamore dude is pretty cool for giving out <em>free </em>fighting animals like that! He also made my job much easier- now, all I gotta do is catch a Pokemon somewhere in God knows what land! Or grass. Y’know, I’d always think it would be like horse breeding- <em>horrible conditions and trying to selectively breed</em><em> for the strongest Pokemon. </em>People actually seem to take care of them. They have nice, cute Pokemon Centers with hot nurses to take care of your Pokemon. You can buy a shit load of treats for them. It’s almost a genuine harmony between Pokemon and Trainer.</p><p><em>Do they actually enjoy battling? Noooooo... that can’t be. They can’t just form bonds with people because they fight to the death. </em>Is this another capitalism trick to bypass animal rights groups? Eh, it probably is. Good job, Pokemon.</p><p>I get thoughts of money greed out of my head and realize that, well, I have to actually get one more Pokemon. <em>And probably battle, harm, and catch it. </em>But first...</p><p>I grab the Pokemon out</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Back to the Hotel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” ~ Carl Bard</em>
</p><p>James’ POV:</p><p>I wake up at around 8 in the morning. I check to see if Fennekin’s doing all right. He is, but he looks like he needs food. Unfortunately, I don’t exactly know what Pokemon nor Fennekin eats. I decide to ask the receptionist at the hotel like a damn idiot.</p><p>“Hey, quick question. Um... what exactly do Pokemon eat?”</p><p>“They usually eats berries and other stuff. You can give them treats as well. We have a café where you and your Pokemon can eat together. The cost is around 400. Wanna go there?”</p><p>Well... I have 700 dollars left. Not exactly willing to spend more on half of that on breakfast. Besides, today was supposed to be the day where I try to enter a showcase. I’m fine.</p><p>“I’m good, but thanks for the recommendation.”</p><p>“All right. Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay! Please consider giving us a review on PokeYelp.”</p><p>Huh, they have Yelp here. That’s nice. But now, I had to find berries or some other treat to feed my lil’ fox. Where do berries grow? Trees? Bushes? That would make sense. I walk down Route 5 down to Lumiose. And what do you know, I find berries on a tree. But, there were none on the ground.</p><p>“Oh well, guess I’ll just shake the damn thing.” I shake it at a decent strength and pace, hoping that it’ll fall easy. But no. This tree wants to be a bitch.</p><p>“Oh c’mon you stupid tree...” I shake harder. I get one on the ground. They look like a blueberry. That’s cool-</p><p>“Oran Berry. They are berries that heal small amounts of HP if your Pokemon is harmed. They are also good in baking.”</p><p>Oh. OK, whatever, Pokedex. I’ll just stick to calling them blueberries. I manage get a few more on the ground. I pick them up, and realize I have around 6. I feed two to Fennekin, two to Skiddo, and eat one myself to see how good it tastes. I immediately throw up. God, how do Pokemon like this? Oh well, I guess. I walk along the road, when I see a billboard that says “Pokemon Showcase Rookie Class registrations now OPEN! Registrations due on Dec. 17, please go to Camphier City to register.”</p><p>Well, I guess Camphier City is where I’m headed to. I check the calendar. Dec. 16. Nice, still got a day left. I put Skiddo and Fennekin away in the Pokeballs and dash my way to Camphier City. Around 10 minutes later, I arrive. I look around for the registration boards. I look on the town map and announcements board. It said it was in the Shabbeneau Castle. I go inside, and damn thing almost looks like I just walked into a smaller Buckingham Palace! Thing looks amazing. But, while I would like to walk around, that’s not what I’m here to do. And, come to think of it I probably should think of a performance I can do. They don’t know any Earth songs, right? I would rather if I could come up with one of my own, but that just can’t happen. It can’t. It’s two days from now! And the fact that they’re still accepting entries is a damn miracle.</p><p>I realize need to set the bar low. That way, I know what the standards are. I want to know what I’m going against. Are they good? What’s their staging like? Props? Combinations of human and Pokemon moves?</p><p>I think my options through. I can do some sort of 80s rock song. Maybe Aerosmith or something.</p><p>Nah, too high quality. I can definitely do those another time.</p><p>I can do a pop song, but that’s common and boring. Maybe some rap, like Ice Cube or Soldi by Mahmood.</p><p>Nope, still too high quality. C’mon, stupid... there’s gotta be better songs. </p><p>Then I remember: THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST.</p><p>They have pretty stupid songs half the time. Now, Eurovision is known for it’s troll songs. It’s essentially when a country doesn’t want to win. Why? <em>Money and capitalism. </em>It costs a shit ton of money to host. Take for instance one of the most known troll songs: Silvia Night’s Congratulations sent in 2006 by Iceland. Silvia Night isn’t a real person- she was a made up character for an Icelandic comedy TV show called <em>The Silvia Night Show.</em> The actor who played her I guess got bored, and thought “Let’s send Silvia to the contest!” Also- the whole process of Silvia recording her song, her trying to get in, etc. was all being filmed by a TV crew to air on Icelandic TV on her show. Anyways, Silvia is kind of a diva. And annoying. But fun annoying. But people didn’t know that at the time. They didn’t know she was a made up character. The actor was dedicated to playing her Silvia character. She acted like a bitch throughout the whole process. She won the Iceland National Contest due to her popularity, and then...</p><p>She started acting wild. She called the Swedish entry, Carola, an “old fucking bitch from Sweden!” She threw middle fingers at everyone during her rehearsals. She acted like she was the greatest person in the world to the media. She had someone thrown out in the Media Center because someone gave her a weird look. Her song was basically saying “VOTE FOR ME BITCHES WOOOOO-“. Now, the Icelandic media went with the joke. Everyone else, however... didn’t. She failed to qualify for the finals. She then proceeded to throw numerous temper tantrums and raged about it. She also claimed that a fake Silvia had replaced her and she was the one raging, and that she has simply went to sleep. <em>Hmm.</em> Still, it was fucking hilarious to watch. Silvia Night is a queen and we only stan her in this house. But, the point is- that’s how seriously people can take even joke entries. Trashy entries are still taken serious.</p><p>I think over Eurovision songs. Rockefeller Street? Too slow and basic pop. Nightcore’s way better, in my opinion. Sameyakh or Celebrate? Nah, <em>professionals have standards.</em> Push the Button? Too scary of a message. It talks about how powerful people can end everything you have at the <em>push of a button. </em>I think for a good 10 minutes. I don’t want anything too boring. </p><p>I’m probably going to have to do a troll song. Hmm...</p><p>I just want to have an energetic introductory performance. Let’s see here... it can’t be too good. Then, it hits me.</p><p>So Lucky by Zdob si Zdub, Moldova’s entry for 2011.</p><p>It’s so damn catchy and energetic! Well, in all honesty, it’s just noise. Like I said said, set the bar low, know what you’re facing against, and hope for a decent result. Also... the hats. YES PLEASE. That’ll be fun to start off my career with.</p><p>I rush over to the registration booth. “Hi, I would like to register for the Pokemon Showcase that’s coming up, please?”</p><p>“All right, welcome aboard. Please note that these events are televised on PokeVision, Kalos Region TV, and numerous other channels. Is that OK?”</p><p>I had performed once in Junior Eurovision. I know what it’s like to be on Television. Hell, that shit gets watched my millions of people! It’s just... what result am I going to get? 25th? 1st? 43rd?</p><p>“Yea.”</p><p>“OK, cool. Just want to make sure you’re not stressed about that. Now, what is your two Pokemon? May I see them please?”</p><p>“Oh, sure.” I grab out the two Pokeballs and let Skiddo and Fennekin out. “This is Skiddo and Fennekin, ma’am.”</p><p>“Aw, they’re so cute! Well, that’s good. What’s your song that you would like to choose for your Free Performance?”</p><p>Uh oh. What the hell is a Free Performance? Is this Eurovision but with Pokemon? Fuck, I probably should’ve looked this up on the Internet.</p><p>“Can I be excused for a minute? I need to go to the bathroom, sorry.”</p><p>”Go right ahead.”</p><p>I’m such an idiot. I run over to the hallway, and look it up, along with Showcases. Turns out- it is essentially Eurovision but with Pokemon, but with no trolling, as the Pokemon Showcasing League pays for everything. That’s fun. From what I read, there’s five categories of performances. The previously mentioned Free Performance, a thing called <em>Poke Puff Baking</em>, which is making these macarons style things in a time limit. A Pokemon Quiz, which is self explanatory. A Poke Puff Performance, which is making them <em>while </em>also performing, and Rhyhorn Herding, which is essentially like sheep herding. They usually do the Free Performances. </p><p>SHIT, I HAVE TO BAKE?! AND PERFORM?! I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST EUROVISION BUT WITH POKEMON! THIS IS BULLSHIT! OK, y’know what? I’m fucking blowing this competition. I can’t bake for shit. I need the help of a fellow competitor. Gah, why the hell would you put <em>baking</em> in fucking performing?!</p><p>I got to do what I got to do, and I eventually walk back. OK, let’s just forget I have to bake shit to even have a chance at winning...</p><p>I eventually get back. “Hey! You ready to show your song for the stage designers to use?”</p><p>Well, I guess I’ll pull up the instrumental from YouTube. “Oh... I have an instrumental I can use. Is that OK?”</p><p>“Yea, sure. Just pull it up.”</p><p>I pull up the instrumental on YouTube, and she puts something in it. I guess it’s to access the song so I can play it for my performance.</p><p>“All right. Please sign this contract which says you’ll follow the rules of the Pokemon Showcasing League, and I’ll let you have your picture taken. It’ll be used for lots of things, like exposure. You know the rules, right?” Um, <em>no.</em></p><p>“Errr...”</p><p>“Well, let me remind you. You have several different kinds of performances. If you win, you get to move on to the finals. Usually, there’s around 6-12 people that perform in the semi-finals, then 2-4 in the finals. If you win the finals, you win the competition and a key that you’ll use If you win three Showcases, you’ll move up to the Grand Class, and that’s the big time. You’ll usually go up to maybe... 25 competitors at one event? But, they’re all full time and they made it all several years ago. Many people never make it. Rookie Class is there to prove if you got it or not. In terms of dresses, anything goes, just don’t use anything too erotic. Also, just be nice to other competitors.”</p><p>Pretty sure I can follow that.</p><p>“Now, come. We’ll take your picture for the public to see. We’ll have individual shots of you, your Pokemon, and shots of you and your Pokemon together.”</p><p>“OK, sounds good.”</p><p>Now, to be honest I’m not the biggest fan of photoshoots. I’ve always found them to be a bit boring. But, at this point in my showcasing career any PR is good PR. I miss my family and everyone on Earth, but unless if there’s some sort of weird ass portal that can take me, I’m stuck to showcasing. I take my photos. Nothing interesting except me doing a few funny and serious poses. It was just a usual photoshoot. Afterwards, she decides to tell me information of the event.</p><p>“The showcase will take place in Lumiose City Stadium. Rehearsals are on the 19th and early in the morning on the 20th. The 20th is the main event that will determine the winner. It will take place at 6 PM. In the meantime, we’ve given you free hotel stays during the competition at the nearby Prism Tower. Hey, they made it into a Gym and a hotel. That’s nice of them, I guess.”</p><p>Oh hell yes! Free hotel stays!</p><p>“Is there a cash reward if I win a Showcase?”</p><p>“100,000 for Rookie, 500,000 for Grand along with sponsor deals if you’re lucky enough.”</p><p>
  <b>Jackpot.</b>
</p><p>“Well, that should cover all the information. Good luck in the contest, may the odds be with you.”</p><p>“Awesome! Well, that’s great! Thanks for your all your help!”</p><p>I leave in a cheerful mood. Damn, I might be able to make a career outta this! I can perform as my main job! This is what I’ve always wanted!</p><p>I put Fennekin and Skiddo inside their balls, and head over to the Prism Tower. I walk along the route back to Lumiose City.</p><p>“<em>Goodbye, yellow brick road</em></p><p>
  <em>Where the dogs of society howl”</em>
</p><p>I eventually enter back into the city. Prism Tower was easy to spot, the damn thing lit up so bright I could see it from my hotel! I enter the building. Electricity runs through the veins of the building. Lights flash everywhere. It’s main goal, I guess, is to be flashy. It works. Colors run wall to wall, everything seems clean in design... it’s amazing! I stare at the inside surroundings of the building for minutes on end. It’s so fascinating! Ah, real world, why can’t you have this?</p><p>I can’t get too distracted, though, so I eventually follow the signs to the hotel.</p><p>I then proceed enter a hallway, before this robot stops me.</p><p>“Hi! I’m Clembot! Please show your badges to battle Clemont.”</p><p>“Uh... I’m here for the hotel? The Pokemon Showcasing League sent me here?”</p><p>“Clembot is confused. Please show your badges.”</p><p>“Look, buddy. I got passes to the hotel here. Please let me redeem those passes.”</p><p>“Sir, please get out if you don’t have the badges.”</p><p>“Clembot, or whatever the hell your name is. I don’t give a shit if you’re a robot, if you don’t let me in, I will definitely fuck you up.”</p><p>Probably a shitty thing to say to a robot. I probably could’ve been kicked out by force at that point. Or killed.</p><p>“Please. Get. <em>Outtttttt...”</em></p><p>Then, out of nowhere, the robot shuts off. The hell?</p><p>“Oh dear! I’m so sorry for the trouble!” I hear a bit of a scrawny, maybe nerdy if you will, voice. Out from the shadows comes a yellow haired man with glasses. He’s wearing a blue jumpsuit, something like from the Imagination Movers. “I’m so sorry this happened. My name’s Clemont- I’m the leader of the Lumiose City Gym, which is located in this very tower!”</p><p>The owner of this hotel is a Gym Leader? What the hell do they do again? </p><p>
  <em>Oh, that’s right, they’re the people that fight their Pokemon to the death for a living! All for a badge! To become the so called “Pokemon Master.”</em>
</p><p>“Oh... it’s fine. And hey, that sounds cool. So you’re the guy trainers have to beat to get a badge, right?”</p><p>“That’s correct!”</p><p>“Oh, well it’s very nice to meet you! I’m James, and I’m an up and coming Showcase performer.”</p><p>“Ah, you’re having your first Showcase! Y’know, I know this very famous performer named Serena Yvonne! She used to be the Kalos Queen, but she got dethroned by Aria. I used to go on adventures with her, my little sis’ Bonnie, and Ash. You may have heard of him.”</p><p><em>He’s met Ash? The hell is this? </em>I always thought he stayed with Misty and Brock all these years. Well, I guess 28 <em>years</em> of them would be annoying.</p><p>“Ah, that’s wonderful!”</p><p>“Now, if I may take you to your room?”</p><p>“Oh, um all right.” He leads me to the elevator to where the rooms are. I try to make small talk with the Gym leader.</p><p>“So... you must be a pretty busy guy. You run a hotel and lead a Gym. How many people go to your Gym each day?”</p><p>“Not very many. Around 40 or so every week. And my dad actually runs the hotel- we decided it might be a nice idea to turn a portion of the tower into a hotel, giving you the finest views of Lumiose City, right from the center of the City of Lights!”</p><p>“That’s pretty awesome! I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be a Pokemon Gym leader. What sparked your interest in tech and Pokemon?”</p><p>“Mainly my dad. He’s one of my idols.”</p><p>“That’s nice.”</p><p>“Yep. As I say, ‘The future is now, thanks to science!”</p><p>The elevator stops and opens. Can’t imagine the room is far away now.</p><p>“So, have you created any robots or anything like that?”</p><p>“Yea, lots of them... albeit, most of them don’t always go to plan...”</p><p>“Ahh...” So, basically they malfunction. That’s great.</p><p>We walk a little bit more and eventually reach my room. Clemont wishes me good luck and says his farewells. I take my room key, put it in the key accepter and the moment I first walked in, my mouth dropped to the floor. This place looks so futuristic and modern! It’s currently night time as of now, which even makes it better. There’s so much to do here, there’s some awesome gadgets I can play with and more! They even have a TV here, which wasn’t at the last hotel. I take a look from the window. Wow, you can almost see the entire city from here! I look below, and see the local hustle and bustle of city life. Ah, the city don’t sleep my friend. That’s what I love. Hopefully, no one knows I stole that drum.</p><p>I look to the right and see a stadium. It’s Lumiose City Stadium.</p><p>“Jesus. That is one giant ass stadium.” That thing has to hold like 80,000 people or something! That has to be a bit nervewracking for the competitors.</p><p>I eventually realize that it is super late, so I get to bed and wish my Fennekin and Skiddo good night, and say I’ll treat them to a special meal tomorrow morning. As soon as the moon goes down, my future career starts now. One of glory. One of brightness. One of legacy.</p><p>Well, at least legacy in the Pokemon world.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. “And a 1, 2, 3, 4...”</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WIP as of now</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more that that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don’t win, how can you lose?”- Jesse Owens</em>
</p><p><br/>James’ POV:</p><p>I wake up, once again to the sounds of the city life. I check the time. 7:30 AM. That’ll give me some time to rehearse in an open field, because hey, you can never be too prepared. Today is 2 days before game day. I have to prepare, get costumes, prepare dance moves, teach Pokemon certain commands, get props, and more. This is going to be a real bitch to do. I’m going to have to copy most of the moves and whatnot from the live performance of <em>So Lucky! </em>This might suck. But first, I did promise to treat my lil’ buddies to a nice meal, so I went downstairs and asked Clemont if he had any restaurants or knew any restaurants.</p><p>“Hey Clemont, you know any good restaurants near the area?”</p><p>“Oh, we have a free breakfast for all guests! Please treat yourself to some of the finest food that Lumisoe City has to offer! Also, did you enjoy your stay last night?”</p><p>“Oh yea, it was wonderful! Very modern and futuristic design, it’s some nice architecture. Modern and futuristic in the middle of a Renaissance like city, it sticks out while being beautiful in design! Slept like a baby last night.”</p><p>“Well, we’re happy to hear that.”</p><p>“Yeah, you guys did really good with the hotel experience. And you’re a Gym Leader, right? Never really expected you to make a hotel.”</p><p>“Well... we did kind of need money. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You see, doing this whole Gym Leader thing is fun and all, but it doesn’t exactly earn a lot of money. It’s really good as a learning experience and it teaches you a lot of important lessons and stuff, but we do own the building. And we need to make money. So, in short my dad decided to make the upper floors of this building a hotel. The Pokemon Showcasing League thought it would be a good idea that when the competition takes place in Lumiose City, so they took up around maybe 6-12 rooms out of the 28 we have, while the rest is for tourists to pay for. I have to admit, the prices for a room are absurd, but I didn’t make it up. My dad did.”</p><p>“How much is a room?”</p><p>“...200,000 for a night.”</p><p>“Sweet Jesus, that much?”</p><p>“Yea... and doing this job along with having to be a Gym Leader is difficult. I wish I could go on another adventure... but everyone seems so busy these days. My sister is busy doing school and Ash is busy doing battles and getting his ass handed to him half the time. He’s been getting better after some time, but dude lost once with a Snivy! But... I have to say, he’s one of the nicest and most determined people I’ve met. Once you get to meet the man, he’s actually really nice and loyal to you. Stupid is, stupid does I guess. Serena is the only one that has any free time, but usually spends time with her precious Ashy. Serena is Ash’s girlfriend, if you didn’t know.”</p><p>“Hold up... she’s dating Ash?” Now, quick sidenote here. I watched like A TINY BIT OF THE FIRST SEASON. I thought he was going to end up dating that girl with the red suspenders. Or that Giselle girl. But, nobody remembers her. What was the other girl’s name again? Misty? I think that’s it. She was kinda a bitch at first glance, but then again Ash did destroy her bike. And Gary exists. Had a yee yee ass haircut. But, for some reason they liked each other. Well, until now I guess. Something must’ve happened. I have no idea what happened to them, I thought they’d always get married as a kid. Childhood ruined. What did I miss when I stopped watching Pokemon? Ash picked up someone with his stupidity? Oh well.</p><p>“Yea, they have been for quite sometime. Started off when Ash helped her when they were both 7 in a forest, albeit at the time it was only Serena that had a giant crush on him. It was so obvious when I was traveling with them. I’m a little bit jealous of them- they seem really happy together, but then again, the press keeps clinging on to them, and it creates a lot of stress. She’s a performer like you, and a damn good one at that. She actually used to be Kalos Queen, the highest award you can get. But, she lost it around six months ago to this girl named Aria. She hasn’t exactly been the same... the glory, fame, and her passion wasn’t there anymore, stress kept piling on, and she fell into this sort of...”</p><p>“Depression? Wanting her title back, I would guess?”</p><p>“Basically. She had to take a break and spend sometime with her boyfriend to basically get her in the right mental state again. She plans to return in around a month. It’s tough on you mentally if you’re a performer. I only wish you don’t go down that path. Don’t get too into the glory and fame of it. I mean, I have a bit of fame to my name. I still appear on TV shows occasionally, on shows like Gym Leader Watch and other shit like that. But my fame is nothing like Serena’s. It’s some tough shit to handle.”</p><p>“Damn... Yeah, as a singer myself, I know what it feels like. You feel like the whole world’s watching ya.”</p><p>“HEY, CLEMONT! NEED SOME HELP HERE!”</p><p>“Coming! Shit, my dad’s calling me for help. You know, you seem like a nice guy. I’m not supposed to be friends with the guests and all but... if you need any help or just want to talk to me in general, call or text me at this phone number. You’re a nice person, James. I hope I get to talk to you more sometime.” He hands me a business card that says,</p><p>“Clemont Edwards<br/>Lumiose City Gym Leader and Co-Manager of the Prism Tower Hotel<br/>+23 891-983-126”</p><p>“I’m on my break usually around dinner time. Well, enjoy your breakfast, and talk with the other performers! See ya!”</p><p>“Wait, wha-... bye?!” Well, that was abrupt.</p><p>Shit, are the other performers are also in this hotel and they’re here now? Huh, maybe I can talk to them. And hey, on the bright side, what do ya know, I made my first friend! And, it’s a Gym Leader. Off to a good start for the day.</p><p>I follow the signs to the complimentary breakfast, and see a few people there. I stand in line, and take a quick peek at the food. This shit almost looks like Gordon Ramsay made them! How is this complimentary? This is amazing! They got some of the best scrambled eggs, bacon, and fine French delicacies I’ve seen! All without the screaming. I grab just about one of everything and take a seat. I look to my left, and I see a girl with brown hair and wearing a red dress. Admittingly, she looked pretty sweet and cute. Maybe I’ll make some small talk? Don’t want to look like a total weirdo. I have been trying to get back into the game. It’s rough, but hey, maybe the Pokemon world is different. Plus, I do need to make friends. Two is usually better than one. F*ck it, let’s do this thing. I gotta make some more friends, and a girl would be nice. And, she is pretty. So, why not. I hope she’s sweet.</p><p>(Random Girl’s POV)</p><p>I’m sitting here, all alone and in a nervous wreck over tomorrow’s rehearsals. My dad decided to take me to the Prism Tower to have a nice breakfast and to go sightseeing. It’s rare for me to be even with my dad, or parents these days. They’re always so busy. Mom gave birth to me 16 years ago, and, wanted to keep the Diantha legacy. So, she named me... Diantha Rivers. My mom is an international movie star, who is Diantha Rivers Sr, and my dad is an important businessman and stockbroker. My housekeepers usually take care of me- but my dad decided to take a break this weekend to take me around the city and to have an overall fun time. But, for now, I’m eating my breakfast, consisting of some coffee, Pokepuffs, eggs, and some toast with butter. Surprisingly, I really don’t have many people that come up to me and say “Hey, aren’t you Diantha’s daughter?” My mom has always tried to shield me away from press and whatnot. I have friends, of course. At my private school, I do have a couple people that I talk to. But I’m not really permitted to go out due to once again, fear of me being followed for everything I do. I once had a boyfriend who was from my private school- well, he proceeded to... well... I still don’t like to talk about it to this day. Anyways, I got into performing by flipping through the TV one night due to intense boredom. Then, Serena Yvonne popped up on my screen. I got into performing by watching the all famous Serena Yvonne perform on TV once. I was astounded by all the bright lights, moves, and people in it! I begged my mom to let me do that one day. My mom decided to let me perform, on one condition- for the love of all that is holy, try to keep a low profile. So, that’s what I’m doing. I’m alone, sitting in the corner of a restaurant. I wish I could talk to someone. I mean, how bad can it possibly be? Just one person can’t be that bad. I’ll try to strike up a conversation with a person. Well, if they happen to sit next to me. Maybe I can make a new best friend... or even find a cute boy here! They let in boys in a couple of years ago, due to apparently issues with harassment against Performers. It can’t be that bad, right?</p><p>I hear a chair next to me move. I proceed to take a look. It’s a boy with brown, fluffy hair. He has a pretty face. He’s wearing a nice, black jacket and jeans. He looks... oh no. He’s actually hot! Gorgeous! What do I do?! Talk to him? Nope, too nervous for that. Maybe he’ll make a first move? Maybe he’s the one that likes to talk to people? I haven’t really trusted any boys since I broke up with my last boyfriend, but this boy might’ve just warmed it back up. C’mon, do something you idiot! Just say hi or somethin-</p><p>“Hey, are you a performer?”</p><p>I blush up like a tomato. He just spoke to me... no, that can’t be right! My body’s in panic mode. Say something in response! Maybe you’ll get to know him better? JUST SAY SOMETHING!</p><p>“Oh, hi! I sure am. My name’s Diantha? What’s yours?” </p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“Hey, are you a performer?” Her face blushes up. Well... I think I might be off to a good start here. A quick pause happens for a bit, while she seems to be thinking of something to say. I finally take a good look at her face. Um... OK, I feel ashamed to admit this, but she’s actually pretty. Really pretty. Maybe it’s just the fact I’ve never really had a good girlfriend before, or never really talk to any, but... man! She is stunning. OK, James. Compose yourself, play it cool. You got this. Ugh... I’m starting to have a major crush on her.</p><p>“Oh hi! I sure am. My name’s Diantha. What’s yours?”</p><p>“My name’s James. Pleasure to meet you.” I proceed to shake hands with her, because hey, why not.</p><p>“Pleasure to meet you as well! Is this your first time competing? It is for me, haha.” OK, that was awkward. She seems a bit nervous. Hey, I am too. We’re both going through this together.</p><p>“Yea, it is. I’m so nervous, I don’t want to screw up or anything while people are watching me... but I just gotta try my best!”</p><p>“Ha, well that’s the spirit! Don’t think about screwing up or anything, just focus on your performance and make sure to rehearse it. You’re gonna do just fine, Diantha. I’ll be rooting for ya. Hey, maybe we’ll even get to go against each other. I’ll be sure to go all out, make sure you do too.”</p><p>“You really think so? Aww, thanks! I’ll be rooting for you, too. You’re one of the first people to believe I can do this... when I first announced that I would become a performer, no one believed in me, with the exception of my parents. I sometimes feel like I can’t do it...”</p><p>“Well, the haters are wrong. Just ignore them. You’re gonna do fine. Plus, it’ll make it all the better when you’re on top of the world, and they’re not.”</p><p>“Well, I guess that’s true...”</p><p>“Say, Diantha, how old are you?”</p><p>“I’m 16.”</p><p>“Oh, really? Me too! It’s nice to see and meet someone that’s my age. Need to make more friends- kind of a loner. Trying to get out of that, however!”</p><p>”Aw, that’s good! I’d be more than happy to talk more or something. I need some friends too, and it would be great if I could be friends with fellow performers.” She blushes up a bit. I am not that handsome, ma’am. But, whatever you say. “So, where you from?” Piss. That’s not good... just say you’re from Lumiose?</p><p>”Oh, I’m a local. Lumiose City born. The city life is fun. I like it. You?”</p><p>”Um... kind of complicated. I move around a lot.”</p><p>”Military?”</p><p>”No. Like I said, a bit complicated.”</p><p>”Well, OK then...” Hey, you’re making good progress on a girl for the first time, James! Good job, here’s a gold star for your valiant efforts of being a simp. Not really, but still.</p><p>She twirls her hair and says to me, ”So... why did you want to perform?” Ah... this is going to put me in a hole. I can’t say I’m from another world. She’s going to lose interest in me, plus I’m going to an insane asylum. OH! I have the perfect lie.</p><p>”I’ve always wanted to perform. The costumes, the bright lights, the... how can you say it? Beauty of it? Yea, that’s what got me into it. I worked very hard, and now I’m here! You?” That is the reason about how I got into theater and Eurovision. Not Showcases. I have to do that to <em>survive </em>in this world without hurting an animal. Or, excuse me, a Pokemon.</p><p>”Oh, that’s nice! I got into it by seeing it on TV! I saw Serena- she was so beautiful in her Rookie Class performance! Shame she tripped on the runway, though...” Uh... who is this Serena? Is she famous? Sounds like it. I’ll have to go against her to be the champion, huh? I wonder what’s she like? A diva? Sweet? Bitchy? Who knows.</p><p>“Ah, fun!” She honestly seems very kind-hearted and nice. Being treated like trash all my life, it’s very nice to have someone other than your parents, let alone a girl, be this nice to you! And... she may like me! She twirling her hair, blushing, kind of giving me the “You look so fine...” eyes you see in weird love scenes in movies! She isn’t flirting with me, but her mannerisms are kind of on the verge of “Hey, I’d love to ask you out on a date” kind of vibe. Never have I had a girl do that to me before. Hey, maybe I won’t mind this new world. I guess this is why people like anime girls. Well, I managed to actually talk to one. Beat that. Come to think of it, when was the last time I even watched anime? <em>Cells at Work? Keroro Gunso? </em>These were all just suggestions that my weeb friend from America gave me. Boy, I bet he would kill to be in my shoes right now. I honestly feel like... I dunno, maybe... ask her out? No, that’s too early to be asking this. Maybe ask for her number? What’s the worst that can happen? Just talk to her more. She seems into me.</p><p>We chatter for a good 20 minutes, ranging from what Pokemon we have to what we would do for the day. She had a cute smile on her face half the time. She’s seems really bright and optimist, with the exception of her, well, performance. Hey, performing in front of people can make you nervous. But, she’s a peppy, happy, cute, good fashion sense blond haired girl. I’m into her! I’m a but of a pessimist at times, but to be honest, I’ve been looking for a girl to cheer me up. This may be the one. And, hey, for once in my life, I’m actually making good progress with a girl! This is amaz-</p><p>
  <em>*buzz*</em>
</p><p>I hear a ring. I check my pockets. It’s not my phone. It’s Diantha’s. </p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>I feel a ring coming from my phone. I check to see it. It’s a text from my dad.</p><p>“Hey! Got done with my meeting with Prof. S- should be able to take you out now, see ya there” Damnit... I really wanted to talk to him more! He’s really sweet and nice! But, matters with family is important. I can talk to him later or the next day.</p><p>”Shoot, I have to go. My dad’s gonna take me somewhere special before my first perform. I hope I get to talk to you more, James! See ya, and good luck!””</p><p>”Thanks, you too!”</p><p>I head for the exit doors and see my dad’s car, waiting for me. </p><p>“Dad, what took you so long?”</p><p>”Just meeting stuff. Now, hop in and let’s explore this town, baby!” He’s... well, whenever he isn’t at work, he’s kind of insane. We like that about him. He’s a fun person to be around. It’s a shame I don’t see him or my mom often- I love both of them, I really do! I just never really get to see any of them. Today’s setting up to be a good day. I met a cute guy and now I have time with my dad to go explore. I hope I get to talk to you soon, James. He’s so cute and precious! Just needs a friend... well, I’ll be happy to become your friend, James.</p><p>Gah, I forgot to ask him for his number! He seemed so into me! You have got to be kidding me, Diane... oh well. I’ll run into him again tomorrow. Ask him then?</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“Shoot, I have to go. My dad’s gonna take me somewhere special before my first perform. I hope I get to talk to you more, James! See ya, and good luck!”</p><p>“Thanks, you too!” She heads towards the exit. I check my phone to watch some Youtube. I feel like I forgot something... <em>shit. “</em>HEY! WAIT UP-“ But by that moment, she already left. Fuck. That’s... not good. YOU HAD THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY, JAMES. YOU BLEW IT. NICE JOB, DUMBASS. Ugh... man, I loved talking to her! She was so heart warming and nice! And... pretty. Astoundingly pretty. You should’ve asked for her number... ah, well. Maybe tomorrow? Wait, what was I going to do again? Aw shit, I need to do rehearsals at a park. I head back to my room, stuffed with breakfast, and grab the two Pokeballs. I walked out of the building to the smoky scent and city sounds of Lumiose. I walked to a nearby park where some people were around, and I let out both of my Pokemon. I also decide to text Clemont.</p><p>”Hey! This is James- when you’re free, please respond. Just want to make sure this is the right person.</p><p>PS- once we’re both done with out jobs, mind if we can talk for a bit? Nothing bad, just for fun. Hope to see you soon!”</p><p>He’s a nice kid. I like him. Clemont, may you go far. Even if your job is also fighting Pokemon like Michael Vick. I guess in this world, Pokemon like to fight. Who knows? But Clemont seems to enjoy it. Hope the Pokemon also, well... this is awkward. I don’t really want to say enjoy it, but oh well.</p><p>Where was I? Oh right, rehearsals.</p><p>“All right, we’re going to rehearse our performance, OK?”</p><p>They respond, looking enthusiastic.</p><p>“OK! So, what we’re gonna listen to first is the instrumental. This is also the part where I sing my vocals, while you get to just listen to the song. I’m gonna play it now, sound good.”</p><p>“Skid!” “Kin!”</p><p>“OK, here we go. And a 1, 2, 3, 4...” I proceed to hit the play button.</p><p>“SO LUCKY!” The guitar solo plays for a bit. I bang my head for my few seconds.</p><p>“SO LUCKY!<br/>Flashes, Ray-Ban glasses, and move with ease in my convertible breeze!<br/>SO LUCKY!<br/>Martini, whiskey on the rocks!<br/>Live from the top, my party never stops!<br/>SO LUCKY!”</p><p>My Pokemon are looking at me like I’m insane. They have a fair point. Now, let me just make a quick side note here. Again. So Lucky was originally a song by rock band Zdob si Zdub in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest for the Moldavian entry. It’s panned as a troll song, which is basically a song when a country doesn’t want to win (because if they do win, they have to host the next contest and it costs a shit ton of money) but still wants to compete. So, they send in weird songs. And boy, do I love weird songs! Yes, I love good, actual songs. 70s/80s rock will always be my bae in music. But let me just enjoy my troll music, I like it OK? I mean, the song is practical nonsense anyway. And, I kinda want my introductory performance as fun, energetic, but doesn’t make any sense. Just like me. It’s basically saying, “Here I am, f*ckers.” So, there’s a fair claim to show that I’m insane. I would make my own music, but I have literally only 2 days. So, sorry Zdob si Zdub. I have to steal it. Just hoping that copyright laws don’t exist here. Nor do they know Earth songs.</p><p>Now, where was I? Oh yeah. My rehearsals. I eventually complete the song and my vocal performance. My Pokemon just looked surprised. I proceed to watch the live performance posted on YouTube. It consists of men wearing stupidly tall cone hats (like gnomes), trumpets, drums, guitars, and more. Unfortunately, we only have three people on stage. Or, one person and two Pokemon. I’m gonna have to cut down the guitars. Maybe there’s a mic that looks like a trumpet? I’ll use the Skiddo as drums. Rather, the Skiddo hits the drum. Then, the second part comes in; it’s ridiculous. A fairy comes in a unicycle. For a replacement, I decide to let the Fennekin wear a tutu and let it run to me, maybe do a circle, then I’ll pick Fennekin up. I think that’ll work.</p><p>“OK, so that completes my vocal performance. Now, you get to be a part of the performance! Fennekin, you’ll come in the second half. Or, I’m planning to. You’ll be wearing a cute dress, just stay near me during that part. Skiddo, you get to beat the drums! Do you know how to beat a drum?”</p><p>“Skid?”</p><p>I’m an idiot. Should’ve expected a no. “Well... I’ll try to come up with something. Can you stand on two legs?”</p><p>It tries. And fails.</p><p>“Right... that’s a no. Maybe you can ram into a drum? I don’t want you to get a concussion, buddy, but would that work for you? Practice by ramming into that tree. Don’t slam it too hard, it’s all playback in the performance anyway. Hit it whenever you hear a “bunk” in the performance.”</p><p>“Skiddddd...” I try to teach what the “bunk” is. It’s basically every time the drum is hit. Skiddo learned surprisingly quickly. They are smarter than I thought. WAY SMARTER. Eventually, I had to teach Fennekin when to come in.</p><p>“OK, Fennekin. You’re going to come in as soon as I stop saying the line ‘I want her on the rug, but she’s not that kinda guy!’, OK, Fennekin?”</p><p>“Fenne fenne!”</p><p>“All right. Please stand over there, then come next to me when I stop saying the line I said. And Skiddo, remember to practice hitting your head on the tree when you hear the “bunk” sound. Here we go.”</p><p>“SO LUCKY!” It plays thru. Fennekin does it’s job. Skiddo does it’s job. Jesus, if only humans could learn like this! This is bloody amazing! I decided to call it a day and return to the hotel. This is gonna be a decent performance.</p><p>I just wonder how good the competition is. I mean, I’m playing a Eurovision song that got 12th. I mean, it was out of 43 countries, but still. But, I think I’ll have a song that’ll stick out, while also not being too good.</p><p>Tomorrow and the day after will be a good day. But, for now I decide to head back and relax for a bit at the hotel and have a friendly talk with Clemont.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW/Mentions of sexual assault, y’know what just add all of em. Skip it if you aren’t comfortable reading it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>”This is my last resort<br/>Cut my life into pieces<br/>I've reached my last resort<br/>Suffocation<br/>No breathing<br/>Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding<br/>Do you even care if I die bleeding?<br/>Would it be wrong?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papa Roach, Last Resort, 2000</em>
</p><p>I walk into the tower to go back into my hotel room and get something to eat. I tell my Pokemon they did a good job (because hey, they most certainly did) and walk over to the nearest café in the hotel. I order an omelette for myself with the money I have left. Turns out I guess they just make most of their money thru the bookings, because the omelette was surprisingly cheap. In the corner of my eye, I see Clemont, in his blue jumpsuit and bright blond hair alone. I decide to go sit next and talk to him for a bit.</p><p>“Hey! You on your break? I just gone done rehearsing at the park for my performance.”</p><p>“Yeah, I am. To be honest, not feeling so good...”</p><p>“You doing OK? What happened?”</p><p>”Nothing to me. I just need a little breather.”</p><p>“What, you exercise or something?”</p><p>”No... actually, I got to go to the bathroom real quick. I’ll be right back.”</p><p>”Sure, sounds good.”</p><p>He leaves. While I wait, I realize- he left his phone here. In any usual case, I would leave it alone and/or bring it to security. But, to be honest, I left a dash of curiosity strike me that day. I did want to know how high tech these phones were. I checked mine. It was still technically an iPhone, but just with a different app store and whatnot. Clemont’s was different- it seemed more modern and high-tech, if you will. So, admittingly... I grabbed it. I wanted to see it.</p><p>I pressed the power button, and it immediately brought me to a password section, along with a background of Clemont smiling awkwardly, what seemed to be a girl with a white bicycle helmet and roller skates, a girl with a pink hat and grey skirt, and... Ash Ketchum. Hmm. Guess he really did go on adventure with Ash.</p><p>I should’ve expected a password screen. Dumbass. But, instead of me putting it down... I wanted to go into it more. I just put in a random password. 5-8-3-1. Nope.</p><p>”Let’s try... this.” 2-5-6-4. 25 Or 6 to 4. Hey, y’know what. I like musical references. I wanted to see if it would work.</p><p>I finish it. I anticipate the vibrate, but... nothing. Surprisingly, <em>it went through. I’m in.</em></p><p><em>”Well, I’ll be damned!</em>” That worked! Holy shit, am I a magician or something? I have to admit, I’m pretty impressed myself. There was like a what, 1 in 10,000 chance I would get it? And I got it second try? That’s impressive if you ask me.</p><p>First app I see is notes... nah, nothing too interesting of worth to check that. Photos? Eh, sure. I’m bored. </p><p>The first video I see has a thumbnail of a film marker. I touch it. It reads:</p><p>“Title: Serena’s Cooking!/Take: 2<br/>Director: Clemont Edwards/The Edwards Agency/29-12-2023</p><p>Hmm... seems interesting. I’ll watch it. I hit play.</p><p>I hear Clemont’s voice. He sounds scared for some reason.</p><p>”Take 2... marker.”</p><p>
  <em>*slap*</em>
</p><p>”Hello, fellow viewers! And welcome to this special second episode of my cooking show!” The background seems to have a relaxed vibe to it. Clean kitchen tops, modern style cabinets, and just an overall... home vibe to it. Not like my home, but it’s still nice. Ingredients line the bottom of the screen. Sugar, butter, y’know, the usual. Serena seems to be wearing a pink kitchen apron, along with some flowers on her hair. She smiles from ear to ear. I guess she was going for the cute look? Who knows. But, something about her face seems... <em>off. </em>She doesn’t look happy doing it. Her eyes are tired. They almost seem to be full of rage. Can relate to that. Usually if I’m pretty tired. I had to do a bunch of PR for the BBC once for my Eurovision performance. It sucked. You’re tired all the time. Average sleep time was about what, 6 hours a day? Then, you gotta clean all your flaws with makeup to make sure that you’re perfect! <em>Because honestly, “who cares about your flaws! Perfection is all that matters!” in the eyes of the crowd. </em>They do pay and treat you well, however. It was just a lot of stuff you had to do.</p><p>”Today, we’re going to be making my famous...” A pause happens. She moves her hands up and down, like pretending to play a drum. I guess post production hadn’t added that in yet.</p><p>”<em>PokePuffs! Ta-da!</em>” Hmm... this should be fun. Maybe I’ll learn to bake for once.</p><p>”I’m <em>so excited </em>to share this with you!” Yep, she’s pissed about something. How the director hasn’t stopped it yet is beyond me.</p><p>“<em>We’re</em> <em>going to have lots of fun on this beautiful Saturday.</em>” Something is going to break. <em>I know it.</em></p><p>She grabs a pink foodmixer from the bottom of the cabinet. Then, she reaches for the eggs. She seems to do it with style, such elegance! If only I had that talent in cooking. I’m more of a Chef Boyardumbass myself. I almost burnt down the kitchen in my home trying to boil french fries. True story.</p><p>”First, you need to separate three eggs...” She separates them without a hitch. But, she seems... aggressive while doing it? She said something along the lines of, “C’mon, you stupid fucking egg...” while trying to separate it. Hmm. Guessing that’s going to be edited in post.</p><p>“<em>These eggs are all cage free and organic!” </em>She winks at the camera, with a smile. “<em>I don’t want anyone criticizing me for using regular old eggs, haha!” </em>OK... that’s odd. Is she afraid of something?</p><p>She finishes separating the egg whites, and grabs the bowl with the whites. Her hands move up to the processor, and she proceeds to <em>slam the entire bowl into the bowl of the mixer, plate chips and all.</em> A chip from the plate flies up, and cuts Serena’s cheek. She doesn’t notice it.</p><p>
  <em>“What in the...” </em>
</p><p><em>“</em>I would like to mention one thing- <em>despite me working 8 hours for some photoshoots and interviews with the media all day, and 6 hours today from the morning to the afternoon, my management team decided that I should post a new, fresh cooking video today!” Holy shit, she did what?!</em> That’s fucked up. As a performer myself, even the damn BBC treated me like royalty compared to her! All they ever did was force me to perform a horrible song!</p><p>Her face is still unreasonably happy. This is starting to get majorly creepy.</p><p>Her hand moves rapidly to the right. She looks like she’s going to hit the bowl of salt next to her. Her hand, as expected from my view hits the salt bowl, and it shatters on the ground, spilling salt on the floor.</p><p>”Because my lovelies with <em>miss me sooooooo much.”</em></p><p>
  <em>”What the actual fuck-“</em>
</p><p><em>(</em>Clemont’s POV)</p><p>I walk towards the restaurant when I hear something similar.</p><p>”<em>Because my lovelies will miss me sooooooo much.”</em></p><p>
  <em>A wave a shock goes through my entire body. Then, panic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh nononono. PLEASE NO! I DON’T WANT TO EVER RELIVE THAT DAY! PLEASE! </em>
</p><p><em>(</em>James’ POV)</p><p>What in the actual hell is going on? Is this the same Serena he told me about? Holy shit, this is bad! </p><p>I hear footsteps. But my eyes are focused on the video. I don’t look at him.</p><p>”Hey, Clemont! You back?”</p><p>He doesn’t respond.</p><p>”Now, the next step is milk.” She grabs the gallon jug of milk and proceeds to drink huge gulps of it, around four or five. Her eyes turn into pure anger. She still has a small smile on her face. Then, she proceeds to dump the <em>entire rest </em>of the jug into the bowl, nearly overflowing it.</p><p>”Clemont... have you seen this? What the hell is going-”</p><p>”NO! NOT OF THAT DAY!” Loud crying from Clemont then starts to occur. What?</p><p>”Clemont? You OK?” Come to think of it... I think that was <em>him</em> as the director. Wait a minute.</p><p>
  <em>Was he the one recording this?</em>
</p><p>I rewind and look back. “<em>Director: Clemont Edwards</em><em>.”</em></p><p><em>Holy shit. He must be traumatized as all hell from seeing this first hand.</em> However, how much I try, <em>I can’t stop watching it. </em>My eyes are peeled to this... what seems to be mental breakdown during a cooking video.</p><p>“Mmm, isn’t that delicious? It really does remind me of the numerous times that people have sent me <em>literal cum in the fucking mail! </em>One of them was so <em>nice </em>that he put instructions on what to do with his vial; to either swallowor put on my face! Delightful, am I right? It was <em>so helpful, and not at all horrifying. </em>But hey, that’s just what you get when you’re in the performing business, <em>right?</em>”</p><p><em>NO. FUCKING. WAY. Please tell me this is staged. Please. </em>Serena... what else did they-</p><p>
  <em>”GAHHHHHHH! WHY?! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?!”</em>
</p><p><em>”</em>Clemont, I-“</p><p>”<em>Why did they have to turn the most nicest girl I knew into a fucking depressed maniac?! WHY?!”</em></p><p>
  <em>”Dear God...”</em>
</p><p><em>“</em>Now, sugar!”</p><p>”<em>NOOOOOOOO!</em>” Incoherent wailing comes from him. My God.</p><p>”I always loved traveling with Ash and Clemont. I honestly love them. And hey, what’s so nice about them other than <em>getting death threats from fans because I traveled with them. Because they thought they had stolen me from them.”</em></p><p><em>What? </em>My mind is in utter shock and confusion. And I’m pissed off. Not at her or Clemont, of course. But the people who made her like this. I’ve seen cases like this before. But nothing <em>this bad.</em> I check the run time. 6:23/10:49.</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p>She eventually seems to mix it with her bare hands, then pours the plate filled massacre of a mixture. Then, she grabs a rolling pin.</p><p>”To the people who’s watching this- I honestly don’t give a shit if you came here just to watch me make PokePuffs.<em> I’m not sorry. </em>Go on, tell everyone about how I lost my shit online and laugh at me. <em>Ha. Ha.” </em>This has all the signs of a complete and utter mental breakdown.</p><p>”But to the people who decide to shame me for wearing, I don’t know, cute clothes, and constantly slut shame me for everything, this is <em>for you.</em>”</p><p>She throws her hands up with the rolling pin, almost like begging God to end her suffering. But it’s in vain. The smile is gone. Her eyes are pure rage. Her mannerisms show she wants to kill someone. Her wrists show cuts <em>everywhere.</em></p><p><em>”</em><em>I</em>!”</p><p>Her hands go down at an almighty speed. The rolling pin hits the table and almost breaks.  </p><p>
  <em>BANG!<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>It happens again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>”HATE!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>BANG!<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>And again. And again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>”EVERY!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>BANG! <br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>“SINGLE!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>BANG!</em>
</p><p><em>”ONE-“ </em>Then, I hear running footsteps. A figures appears on the right of the screen, almost seeming to stop her. Then, a voice.</p><p>”STOP IT SERENA STOP-“</p><p>
  <em>It’s Clemont’s voice.</em>
</p><p>”Huh? Cle-“</p><p>His hands wrap around her, tackling her to the ground. Ingredients and bowls fall to make a cacophony of sounds of breaking. The camera falls in the utter craziness, breaking the camera and stopping the footage. But, for some reason, the audio stayed on for the rest of the minute. Serena screams out of anger. <em>Terrifyingly.</em></p><p>”<em>GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME! I’M TRYING TO TEACH THEM A FUCKING LESSON!”</em></p><p><em>”</em>Don’t... please! I beg of you! People care about you! Not everyone is like this!”</p><p>”<em>WHY WOULD ANYONE DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE THEN?! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE-</em></p><p>
  <em>GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!”</em>
</p><p><em>”No! </em>Please... I care for you! Just consider taking some rest! Take time off, damnit!”</p><p>
  <em>These are 15-17 year olds. Why? Who could be this messed up to fucking do this to people that age?</em>
</p><p>“<em>Everyone’s turning on my back... everyone hates me! What’s next? You hate me? Ash? I’m alone in this world, aren’t I?”</em></p><p><em>”</em>What? No! I would never do...” The audio starts to become static, presumably from the camera breaking.</p><p>”<em>WELL THEN WHY WOULD PEOPLE SEND... *buzz* PICS... EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY...*buzz*”</em></p><p><em>“</em>Close down the fan mail or something!” His voice immediately shows he’s in utter panic. I don’t blame him. This would be one traumatic experience to see <em>first-hand. </em>And she’s his best friend, too?!</p><p>”<em>WHY AM I EVEN GETTING THIS?! FOR BEING CUTE?! PERFORM... *buzz*” WORLD?! I’M A... *buzz* WHY DO I DESERVE-“</em></p><p><em>”</em>YOU DON’T!”</p><p>”<em>I want to just fucking end it. Leave the sport and forget this all ever happened. I want to-”</em></p><p>
  <em>”JUST PLEASE-“</em>
</p><p>
  <em>*buzzzzz*</em>
</p><p>Silence finally fills the room. It finally stops. I’m in total shock. <em>How is this even possible? How are people this sick to do this?</em> Is this what the path of Showcasers are? Agony? Creeps everywhere you go? Suicide?</p><p>I put down the phone, power it off, and proceed to at least try and comfort him. His jumpsuit is almost full of tears. He can’t control himself. <em>It’s all my fault. I had to just snoop around and cause PTSD in Clemont. Least I could do is try to say sorry and to comfort him.</em></p><p>”Clemont, I-“</p><p>”<em>Those fucking maniacs... why?! When I met her, she was the sweetest, kindest girl you could meet... then all the damn perverts just had to ruin EVERYTHING, HUH?!</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>*construction zone* </em>
</p><p>Clemont’s voice trembles with fear. While I’ve had my share of breakdowns, this is just... the worst I’ve seen. I don’t know how to deal with this. He doesn’t know how to deal with this. I can’t imagine how he would feel.</p><p>“God, no! I would never turn my back on-“</p><p>“THEN WHY WOULD SOMEONE SEND ME FUCKING PUBES, DICK PICS, EVERY IMAGINABLE THING YOU CAN THINK OF!?” These girls are just young, 15 years old... what the hell!? “I’VE HAD ENOUGH! LET ME OUT! I WANT TO GET OUT OF THIS FUCKING SPORT! I DON’T WANT ANYMORE FUCKING PERVERTS WANTING ME!”</p><p>Clemont just seems to be on his knees at this point, begging her to stop. “For the love of God, please! Just stop! People do like you! Just consider taking a break!”</p><p>Serena sighs. “Well, I’m fucking tired of people that send me fucking, y’know, DEATH THREATS, VIALS OF SEMEN IN THE MAIL, AND MORE! DO PEOPLE DO THAT TO YOU?!”</p><p>”No, but-“</p><p>”WELL, I HAD THAT! You’re one lucky son of a bitch, y’know? Honestly, I do feel just a tiny bit bad that I’m acting like this to you. But I want to prove my fucking point. This is the way to do it. Oh, and just in case if the camera is still on. I’m not cleaning this. In fact, YOU SHOULD. WOW. GOOD JOB, SOCIETY! YOU TURNED A INNOCENT GIRL INTO A PARANOID, DEPRESSED, WANTING TO-” Clemont runs over to the camera mid sentence to see if it’s still on.</p><p>“Shit, why’s it still record-“ The audio finally cuts off. What I just saw and experienced is one of the most haunting things I’ve ever seen. A 15 year old girl, just wanting to create a cooking video, has a mental breakdown over fans sending her the most God-awful things I’ve heard, perverts, stress, and... there’s no words. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. No one should through this.</p><p>I check on Clemont. He’s crying in a corner. </p><p>“Why? Why did it have to end up like this? She was the most happiest, kindest, most sweet girl you could possibly meet! Then, all the perverts starting getting onto her, sending death threats, sexually assaulting the poor girl, being overall assholes! There is no Arceus. What kind of God would do such a thing?! To a 15 year old?! NOW LOOK AT HER! SHE’S DEPRESSED, SUICIDAL, WAITING FOR THE JAWS OF DEATH TO ARRIVE EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE, EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY! HER FEW FRIENDS AND ASH ARE HER ONLY HOPE LEFT- AND EVEN SHE THINKS THEY’VE BETRAYED HER! I got off a call with her. She was so drained, she mentioned numerous times that she just wanted to end it all and that no one, even Ash wouldn’t miss her. I tried to tell her that’s not true, but she hung up on me. Last I heard, Ash was with her at Serena’s home, trying to comfort her! And the worst part- she is required to perform soon! In three weeks! I can’t handle this anymore... I can’t let her do thi-“</p><p>”Clemont... I am so, so sorry. It isn’t your fault.” I want to help this dude and Serena out. I can’t bear it, either. They’ve shown me kindness. I’ll pay them back.</p><p>“I KNOW! BUT I CAN’T STAND SEEING HER LIKE THIS!”</p><p>”Please... just talk to a suicide hotline. They should be able to help.” I hear a pause.</p><p>”I... actually haven’t thought of that. I’m just afraid that she’ll end up in an insane asylum, to be remembered as a dark stain on the Pokemon Showcasing League-“</p><p>”She’ll get the help she needs. Please consider it.”</p><p>”I’ll try in my free time. I can only ask you one thing- please, don’t spread what you saw around to the public. I’m the only one that has the footage of that day. It’s been reported that it happened- but the footage never seen. Please. If you have to keep one promise, let it be that one.”</p><p>”I will. Clemont, please let me know if you need anymore help with this. Also, I would be more than willing to talk to Serena about this whole situation.”</p><p>”Thank you... but about Serena, she’s just shut off everyone. She won’t talk to anyone at all.”</p><p>”I see...”</p><p>”CLEMONT! I NEED YOU BACK!”</p><p>”Shit! COMING! I gotta go. See ya.”</p><p>”See ya my man. Let me know if you need anything!” I realized what the dangers are about being a Performer. You get constantly shit on. Perverts come to you. Your life is crowded by events. People idolize you. I’m going to fucking prevent this on anyone or myself. I don’t want another Serena. I want people to be happy, to enjoy life, and to never experience what me nor Serena ever experienced.</p><p>I walk up back into my hotel room. I think of a song while walking up.</p><p>“<em>All the lies and all the pain<br/>Only you can make them go away<br/>All those words won't comfort me<br/>It's clear we are not meant to be<br/>Yeah, release me from this sad and losing game<br/>Oh, release me, oh, release me from this sad and losing game”</em></p><p>It’s probably what she’s going through right now. I hope you will get the help you need, Serena. I pray for you. I’m always here to talk.</p><p>It’s around 5:30 PM at this time, and I think about experiencing the nightlife of Lumiose City. I need to distract myself from what I just saw... it feels like it’s etched into my brain. I turn on the TV I have. Most of it is damn tourism channels promoting stuff in the hotel or city. Sheesh, can’t even get away with first world problems. But, then again, that is what I’m looking for.</p><p>Most of it is shit. I want the nightclubs and other shit! How hard is it to find that? Not like red light district or anything like that for today, just something to party. There’s out there is none. Way to go, Lumiose! Now I got nothing better to do.</p><p>Maybe I can talk to Diantha? She was pretty nice to me, but I don’t know where her room is. Nah, I probably shouldn’t barge in unexpectedly. So, maybe I’ll just talk to her tomorrow. Well, there really is nothing to do. I’ll just watch TV and YouTube until I fall asleep. Maybe Furret Walk or acquire the sire will entertain me.</p><p>I watch for two hours. I got so bored that I clicked on the first recommendation which a NASCAR race. I watched rednecks going around in circles in capitalism cars and thought that was entertaining. Yea, this world screwed me over so bad that NASCAR was entertaining. I don’t care about any sports, let alone NASCAR! But, here I am, and I now find hillbillies crashing is the best thing in the world.</p><p>“YEA! ANOTHER LEFT TURN! WHAT’S THIS? OH, ANOTHER LEFT TURN! YEAAAAAAAAAAAA~”</p><p>I need a beer. And a southern accent.</p><p>Eventually, it does bore me. Maybe I can watch the anime with Ash? At this point, it might just be an educational series! Do they still have it on Netflix? I check. Yep. I watch the first episode, and immediately stop watching after five minutes due to the absolute absurdity of it. That was not a good idea. He’s just so bloody stupid!</p><p>I’ve become an addict to the internet. Shit, can I just play with my Pokemon? Is that allowed? Eh, it probably is. I let out my Pokemon, and just decorate them with all the things I could find in my room, play around, and look in my PokeDex. Turns out you can ride Skiddo. I need a distraction after seeing <em>that.</em> Hmm...</p><p>“Hey, Skiddo. You don’t mind if I can ride you?”</p><p>“Skiddd!” It sounded nice, so I thought it said no and I rode it.</p><p>“WEEEEEEEEE THIS IS FUN! IT’S LIKE A MINI HORSE!” HOLY SHIT I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SOMETHING THIS FUN. I GOTTA TRY THIS AT THE PARK TOMORROW BEFORE REHEARSALS. But, for now I’ll just ride around in small room trying not to break anything. I play around with it for 30 minutes. Then, I get tired. I put Skiddo and Fennekin back, and promptly fell asleep. Tomorrow will be the chance to show the public what I got. I can’t wait. But, I must also think about the future. I don’t want to end up like... yikes, that gives me shivers. I can barely sleep due to the excited ness, but then, also scared of what might happen. I barely get any sleep. Maybe 5-6 hours? Ah, well. But tomorrow will be my first chance. Godspeed, James. May your new life begin. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Creator’s Note: Wow. This was incredibly dark. I kind of regret making this. But, hell, this situation happens in the real world, too. It needs to be revealed just how bad our society can be. But still... man, I feel bad.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Flashes, Ray-Ban Glasses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Creators Note: if you want the full, interactive, idk imagine it yourself experience here’s the link for James’ song: https://youtu.be/nHAY_OVN_gY<br/>Also, a WIP. Undergoing major rewriting.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>All this machinery<br/>Making modern music<br/>Can still be open-hearted<br/>Not so coldly charted<br/>It’s really just a question<br/>Of your honesty</em></p><p>
  <em>One likes to believe<br/>In the freedom of music<br/>But glittering prizes<br/>And endless compromises<br/>Shatter the illusion<br/>Of integrity”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Rush, The Spirit of Radio, 1980</em>
</p><p>I wake up just in the nick of time for more of Clemont’s complimentary breakfast. I change clothes, get my paddock passes, grab my Pokeballs (which, I have to admit it takes a bit of getting used to doing that habit) and try to make myself look somewhat decent. As soon as I arrive, once again, one of everything. It’s not that much, surprisingly. This time, none of the competitors are there. I check the clock. 9:30 AM. I check the schedule. Rehearsals today are at 10:15. Shit. Guessing they’re all at the stadium. I eat as fast as humanly possible, no time. I then hurry my ass out of the building, and wait for the nearest transportation. Thankfully, there’s a bus nearby that goes to Lumiose City Stadium. I get on the bus, and hopefully it shouldn’t take too long. I try to find an empty seat. There is one- all the way in the back. Just one. I got lucky. At least there’s one. Then I notice who I have to sit next to. She looks familiar... she has brown, straight hair, a cute face, and oh... it’s her! The pretty girl I met yesterday! This... is kind of awkward. But hey, you can try to talk to her a bit more now. I really don’t want to screw this up... well, screw it. Say hi.</p><p>“Diantha? Is that you?”</p><p>[<b>Earlier in the day]</b></p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>I’m fast asleep. It was a good day yesterday. I got to travel around Lumiose City, have some well needed talk with my dad, and overall had an exciting time. Oh, and did I mention seeing that hot guy at the hotel?! For some reason, that James boy couldn’t get out of my head. I actually dreamt that I kissed him! I really can’t believe I’m fangirling over him... but he just seems so sweet and cute and just... ugh. You really only met this guy for like a day, and you already have a crush on him?! I can see him in my dreams...</p><p>”James, come here, you...” And, I’m still dreaming about him. I am pretty much a klutz at this point. But... don’t let this dream end. He’s just the cutest boy I’ve met in a long-</p><p>“SHIT! DIANE! WAKE YOUR ASS UP WE’RE GONNA BE LATE!” Don’t let it end... just a little longer... wait, did my alarm go off at all today?!</p><p>Shoot, my alarm decided to malfunction at the worst time, huh?!  My dad came in screaming his lungs out to wake me up. </p><p>”Huh... what?” I look at the clock. 8:43 AM. I was supposed to wake up at 8. Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Did <em>both </em>of our alarm clocks fail?</p><p>“HURRY UP AND GET CHANGED! SORRY I HAVE TO WAKE YOU UP LIKE THIS BUT HURRYYYYYYYY!”</p><p>”Crap- ON IT!” Today’s going to be one of those days, huh? I wake up, still kind of groggy and now nervous for rehearsals. I stayed up with my dad until pretty late. Maybe 12? I kind of regret that now. I run over to the bathroom, take a quick shower, try to make myself look somewhat presentable for judges and whatnot, and look for my performance dress. It’s a brilliant dress- one that my mom lent to me! It’s black at first- but, with technology being cool, I can twirl around in it and around me comes out fire! I’m supposed to twirl for a bit, and then the dress comes out to a nice white and blue dress. I rush to put it on, and dash even faster to go downstairs and have regular breakfast with Dad. Well, by regular... </p><p>”Hey, Dad! Your alarm clock failed too, huh?”</p><p>”YEP. HURRY UP AND EAT YOUR BREAKFAST. WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR CEREAL HERE HAVE SOME GRANOLA BARS-“</p><p>”Dad, you OK? Maybe take a few deep breaths or something?”</p><p>”SHIT WE ONLY HAVE 20 MINUTES! THE STADIUM’S TOO FAR! JUST TAKE THE GOGOAT OR THE BUS!”</p><p>”Um... Dad?” He... is acting very weird. I know he’s insane, but not like this. Something really must’ve gotten into him.</p><p>He sighs. ”Just eat your granola bar, Diane... sorry. I’ll treat you to something good afterwards.” I look at the time. 9:15. Oh no...</p><p>I finish eating my granola bars, when my dad decides to give me some money. “Here’s bus fare cash. NOW GO! Find the nearest bus station.”</p><p>”But isn’t bus fare free ever since last week due to that new law-“</p><p>”JUST TAKE IT AND I DON’T KNOW BUY SOME GOOD SNACKS OR SOMETHING! MAYBE YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND AND WANT TO GIVE HIM SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW JUST TAKE THE BLOODY CASH-“ </p><p>”Um... right.” I’m not going to have a boyfriend soon... well, OK, maybe James I have a minuscule chance with. I’m into him and all, and I’m willing to talk to him... but I have absolutely no idea what do to from there! Kiss him? Hug him? What do I-</p><p>”WE’RE WASTING TIME! JUST GO!” Well, I’ll just think about that later. I got to think about how I’m not going to be late!</p><p>”OK, love you!”</p><p>”Love you too, Diane. Break a leg!”</p><p>Geez... that was hectic. I run over to the nearest bus station, which, may I add was about... 5 minutes to get there. Shoot, I’m going to be even more late at this rate! Thankfully, by a dash of a silver lining, a bus just so happened to be heading to Lumiose City Stadium. At least that was useful. Unfortunately, there were only two seats available in the back. Well, I guess I’ll just play on my phone until then. I’m pretty nervous for rehearsals. What if I trip and fail? What if I break something? The negatives always seem to be there for some reason. Diane, try to relax yourself. Think about the city surroundings. The beauty of the city! Turn your mind off of performances, try to think of something else...<br/><br/>“Now stopping at: Prism Tower Hotel and Lumiose City Gym. Please get off in an orderly fashion.”</p><p>Ah, the famous Prism Tower! Went there yesterday to see Clemont and have a nice breakfast. It’s so cool! Very interesting design, very modern, futuristic, it’s all strangely beautiful! I like it just a tiny bit old-fashioned, however. I actually know the boy who leads the Gym, Clemont. He’s a nice guy. I occasionally talk to him. He is a bit of a geek, which, to be fair, I’m not surprised. He runs an Electric-type Gym. Very experienced at what he does! Not exactly into battling, but I respect it. I’ve battled a couple of times. I’m pretty bad at it, however. Just too many moves, strategies and a whole bunch of hubbaloo.</p><p>I look over, see nothing, and decide to play back on my phone with some Pokemon Amie. Then, out of nowhere, I hear a strangely familiar voice.</p><p>“<em>Diantha?”</em></p><p>I think I heard it yesterday... It’s a nice voice. I look over. It’s a boy with tall, brown hair, a flannel shirt and sweatpants. His face is familiar. <em>He’s calling my name.</em> No way, is that-</p><p>“Is that you?”</p><p>GAHHHHHHHHH IT’S HIM AGAIN! I forgot to talk to him much yesterday... now’s my chance! Ask for his number or something! Say hi! Ugh, why is he actually so cute...</p><p>“Oh hey, James! Nice to see you again! You woke up late too, huh?” He arrived late... I wonder why? </p><p>My mind goes back and realizes one thing- <em>I’m on this bus to do performances. </em>My nervousness racks up to 11 again, and what’s even worse is that James is there. C’mon, just at least try to stay a little bit confident around him... man, why I do I have to perform with so much people today judging every little, useless flaw I have? Thousands of eyes watching my every step on stage. From when I get to the arena to after I get off the stage. Really starting to regret this...</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“Oh hey, James! Nice to see you again! You woke up late too, huh?”</p><p>“Yep. Alarm clock forgot to go off, haha.” That’s a lie. I mainly just wake up late. Why? Because I want to and I’m a night owl. I’m a vampire, y’all.</p><p>“Yikes. So... you ready for rehearsals?”</p><p>”Give or take yes and no. One, I’ve done this kind of thing before. But, I haven’t done it with all these people before. Like, there’s at least thousands here! I just have to get myself into a good mindset... what about you?”</p><p>Her face, once again, blushes to a light red. Her eyes almost look in fear. Yep, she’s nervous. “Um... <em>not reallyyyyy...”</em></p><p><em>”</em>Why not?”</p><p>”Do you realize how many people are going to be watching me, watching every second of me? They’ll find any sort of flaw in me to use against me! I have to be practically perfect-“ She’s nervous. Um... I feel like I should try to calm her down. She’s my friend, after all. Well, hopefully. Plus, it’s always nice to be grateful and create friendships with your fellow competitors. </p><p>”Mistakes happen to anyone! Also, people kind of suck most of the time.”</p><p>”But what happens if I fall down on stage? People will keep constantly talking about how much I failed on stage! That stuff stays with you forever, into when I die and then som-“ She’s a nervous wreck... I mean, I can’t blame her. I can only imagine how many people watch this stuff. My mind goes back to when I played with Clemont’s phone and saw... <em>that. </em>I remember Clemont’s talk about Serena and her mental breakdown. I remember my own struggles of depression. I don’t want that to happen to anyone. Just watching the mental breakdown in itself was downright hair raising and disturbing to watch. <em>I can’t let that happen to her.</em> <em>I can’t let her experience what I nor Serena went through.</em></p><p>I grab her hand out of... um... actually, I didn’t know what I was thinking at the time. I just wanted to help her through this. Try to make her feel comfortable. I just tried to be a sort of... God, I really don’t know. A mentor? Helper through this? I’ve done this before- she hasn’t. I have always wanted to help others. She’s going to think I’m a weirdo that likes touching people, James! YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT! </p><p>Shit, I guess I have to say what I have to say now. You are such a doofus. I can’t do anything but say something to her now... here goes. I pull out the best piece of info I have. Perseverance is key. Keep on going. It ain’t over til’ it’s over.</p><p>“<em>Learn from them. Keep trying. You fail? Keep at it. Fail again? Do it again. Fail until you pass. Then, make that pass to the closest thing you can get to perfection. No one is perfect. Everyone has made failures. They don’t like to admit it, but they have. Anyone who says they haven’t is a hypocrite. It’s OK to make mistakes. Once you happen to make one, learn from it. Suck it up, and change it for the better. Even if you’re going through hell, keep going.”</em></p><p>Her face, once again, turns red. I turn a bit red too, I mean... I’m kind of holding her hand and telling her motivational speeches close to her. I’d turn immediately red if a girl did that to me. I’m the one doing it to her, but still.</p><p>The two of us are silent among the outside world of commuters, businessmen, and all walks of life, while we regather our thoughts and try think of something to say to each other. Her eyes start to twinkle a bit, she’s looking straight at me stone faced, and she seems to be flustered. It’s a few seconds of sweet silence in our world, I’d say. She likes me. I like her. Well, at least as acquaintances for now. But it’s slowly growing, I would think.</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you...”</em>
</p><p>“It’s no problem.”</p><p>It’s a nice breath of fresh air to meet a girl who isn’t an asshole half the time or will cheat on you for a Four Loko and some Flaming Hot Cheetos. She actually accepted my help. And is grateful about it. Also, she’s <em>really nice to look at</em>. But, helping is over for now. James, come up with something. Again.</p><p>“So... what kind of performance are you going to try to do?”</p><p>“I dreamed it would be a sweet, kind of emotional performance. Maybe a dance between me and my Pokemon. How about you?”</p><p> “Mine is uh... certainly interesting? A bit energetic, I guess? Yeah...”</p><p>“Haha, well I bet you’re gonna do better than me, at least...”</p><p>“Don’t say that! You’re gonna make it into the finals, trust me. I bet you’re gonna be one of the best performers tomorrow night.” Shit, I feel bad for her. It’s just her first time. Maybe I’ll say something to distract her? “So... what’s your two Pokemon that you’re going to use?”</p><p>“I have a Sylveon and a Klefki. Wanna see them?”</p><p>“Yea, that would be nice, but later. When we get off the bus.”</p><p>“All right, I’ll show it to you later!” She says with a smile. I wonder what they look like.</p><p>OK, your dumbass decided to just forget about asking her number yesterday. Now’s your perfect chance. Just don’t do anything that might creep her out. A simple “Hey, you don’t mind if we can trade numbers?” should do. Hey, she seems to be into me.</p><p>“So... you mind if we can trade numbers? I’d love to talk to you more and maybe... y’know, get to know each other better? You’re really great to talk to.” You sound like an average cliche lover. You’ve could of had said ANYTHING else but NOOOOOOOO-</p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>My face turns a dark red. <em>No. He didn’t just do that. </em>I’m flattered beyond relief... why is a person this cute asking for my number!? I can’t let this pass. Shoot, where’s a piece of paper I can write on?! This is my chance!</p><p>(James POV)</p><p>Um... she’s blushing at that. Hard. I have never gotten this far with a girl. Holy dogshit, do I love anime. And, her for liking me. No one’s really liked me like this before... it feels so heartwarming! It just melts my heart. A girl <em>actually </em>wants to talk to me, be friends with me, and even give her number out! This just feels... aw, I have nothing else to say but... thanks so much, Diantha. While you may not know it, I’m a strange guy from another world, and you took me in. That’s a good person I’d want to be with! I’m actually starting to care for her... I mean, I’ve only met her for like a day, but I would care for her way more if it wasn’t for that fact. </p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>I find a piece of paper hidden under the seat. It’s not that dirty... eh, why not. While I may have a rich family and whatnot, I’m not <em>that</em> much of an ass over cleanliness and other things like that. Sure, it’s nice to be clean, but you got to do what you got to do sometimes. My mom taught me to not be like that. Thank you, mom. </p><p>I find a pen also with the paper. That’s convenient! I pick it up, check if the pen works, and write it down. I add some hearts around the number for um... yeah, I really like him at this point, huh? I fold it up, and give it to him.</p><p>“Here you go... text me when you can.”</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>I grab it and decide to open it for later. We’re on the bus together right now! Makes no sense. Maybe after rehearsals we can text each other. </p><p>We chatter on the way to the stadium- it was about a seven minute drive. We talk about how we got our names, how we thought our performances were going to go, and just overall banter. She laughed at my jokes, and I was interested in talking about serious topics when she was being kind of serious, which basically just meant that we’d talk over how’d things go. It was very calming... she was very nervous about her performance, but it seemed that she started to get less nervous after talking to me. I started to open up on more, relatively serious topics (nothing too serious, however). I liked the way she talked- it was more relaxing, more eloquent than my weird ass informal talk that I use, well, pretty much all the time. It felt nice to hear her. It all felt just an overall peace and calm. In an unknown world, she could be my friend, my guide, the person to be in this world. I’ll create new friends. This is just hopefully the start. Please, God. Let this go well. <em>Please. </em></p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>It’s a such a joy to talk to him! His smile is just precious, he’s gorgeous to look at, he has good fashion sense (for my taste at least), and practically checks off everything I want. We chatter a bit about topics. I’m starting to fall in love with him. He’s a character, and I love it. My mind is focused on him, as we talk nonstop.</p><p>Then, like a screeching halt, the bus stops. My mind suddenly unfocuses and looks around.</p><p>”Current Stop: Lumiose City Stadium. Please get off in an orderly fashion.”</p><p><em>Crap. Zero hour has arrived</em>. I have to perform in front of people! How does Serena, Shauna, and the others do this?! And in such elegance! They make it look so easy! What do I do?<br/><br/>(James’ POV)</p><p>Well, we’re here. </p><p>“Well, I got to go. Hope your performance goes well!”</p><p>“You too, good luck!”</p><p>“Aww, thanks!” Well... that went really, really, great. I don’t even know what to say.</p><p>“Current stop: Lumiose City Stadium. Please get off in an orderly fashion.”</p><p>I eventually walk over to the Paddock Area, which is basically like the Green Room for Eurovision (an area where singers can relax before and after their performances) and show my pass to security. They let me in, and they direct me to my area where I can take a seat. It’s not as chaotic as Eurovision, but there was finely dressed Pokemon and humans, getting ready for their act. I take another look at the schedule. The running order I see goes in groups threes. I’m in the second group, along with two other girls. Diantha is in the third group. I still have some time to change uniforms and get ready. I find a changing room, and let out my Pokemon. I put on these absurdly tall, black hats on mine and Skiddo’s head, and make Fennekin wear this tutu. Hopefully they remember the stage directions I gave them. I take a peek at the stage. It’s not that big. Unfortunately, I realized that this wasn’t the main part of the stadium- probably only 9,000 could watch. That sucks. Maybe the Grand Class performs big time.</p><p>I walk out, and realize all of the other performers, with the exception of Diantha, are giving me practically the “what and who in the hell are you” kinda look. Well, deal with it. I’m James and I’m ready to introduce myself to the Pokemon world, bitches.</p><p>I take my seat, and just wait for my name to be called. Diantha is nowhere close to me, and I’m not really allowed to get out of my seat and just talk to other people. So, I just look on my phone and make sure Fennekin and Skiddo are relaxed and staying cool.</p><p>“This feels like an eternity... can I please just rehearse?”</p><p>Finally, I hear the director of the competition saying to the crew, “All right, we’re gonna start rehearsals now, starting with the intro. We shall start in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” I decide to watch it on the screen. The, well, I guess Pokemon Showcasing League theme plays, then I see a video, which introduces people to the contest. Then, I see the host. He wears a fancy blue suit, and has a wand.</p><p>“Hello, viewers, and welcome to the Lumiose City Rookie Class Showcase! I am your host, Mr. Pierre and bienvenue to our fine competition.”</p><p>He says a few things. Mainly boring shit. Finally, they call up the first group. But, this is the first rehearsal. It’s gonna take a while, with all the stage directors and what not. Kill me. But, there is one thing I take away from it. The voters are only people from inside the arena. They vote with this weird ass glow stick thing, called a Glow Caster, then orbs come out of it to count and tally up the votes. Whoever gets the most votes in their respective group wins and moves to the final. But, for some reason this was a “special” competition where the “best of the best” can only compete, and they decide only two people could move on to the final. The three who won would have their vote percentages counted. Let’s say, for example me, Diantha, and let’s say another person named Austin wins. Austin gets 77% of the vote for the group, Diantha 83%, and me a measly 47%. I would be eliminated. Basically, if you had the lowest percentage out of the three, you’re out too. That’s weird, but I think I have a... well, decent entry for the final anyway. Hopefully.</p><p>I watch some of the performances. I gotta know what the competition is. I see the first entry.</p><p>“Here is Miette McDowell, and her performance!”</p><p>”Music, in 5, 4-“</p><p>”Oh, shut the hell up! JUST START IT ALREADY!”</p><p>Uh... what the hell?</p><p>Surprisingly, the music plays. It’s a boring ballad. There’s not even any singing, it’s just the bloody person saying “(Pokemon), use (insert move here)”. It’s boring. At least the moves look nice? I have to admit, they look pretty nice. But, performance wise, <em>boring. </em>God help me. And most of them seem like divas or something. They’re assholes on stage and off, huh?</p><p>The next two performances are the same thing. OK, this seems kinda likely that I’ll get a good finish...hell, maybe even a win! Hopefully it’ll be Diantha I’ll go against. She’ll actually be a challenge, as she actually gives two shits about the contest. I think.</p><p>*brzzt* “The first group has been completed. The running order of the second group is Kate, Shauna, and James. Please order yourselves in that order.”</p><p>Crap. I’m last I'm the group. I don’t want to wait anymore...</p><p>Again, it’s the same bloody thing, but Shauna’s was more electronic music. Looked like a troll entry to me. I’ll give her that. Then, it’s my turn. The organizers give me a headset to tell me when the playback will be happening. The drum is already on stage. Nice. I get on stage, not too nervous, but still I am a little bit. Well, here goes nothing. Three days of getting transported to another world, being homeless, stealing, catching Pokemon, and training them will all come together here. Weirdest adventure ever, but I’m ready. Here we go...</p><p>“Next up, please welcome... um... a rookie who goes by James McNeely! His performance is called ‘So Lucky’! Will he be lucky enough to win the competition? We shall see! Oh God, can we please change the puns...”</p><p>I look around and see around 20 people in the audience. Maybe they’re just media? Then again, one of the, seems to be a couple. Who knows? Let’s get this bitch started.</p><p>“And music in 5, 4...”</p><p>Wait a minute. That couple... the boy has a red cap, Z’s on his face, and big eyes.</p><p>”3, 2...”</p><p>”<em>Is that Ash Ketchum-“</em></p><p>
  <em>”1.”</em>
</p><p>“SO LUCKY!”</p><p>(About 30 minutes earlier...)</p><p>Serena’s POV</p><p>Yesterday... was rough. I do not want to talk about it. Ash, being the lovely guy he is, decided that I should take some time off and maybe go out with him and watch rehearsals. I thought why not, what’s the worst that can happen? It’s with Ash, and I could just wear a disguise. Ash agrees on that. I wear a disguise to keep myself private. So is Ash. We both have to wear clothes that look pretty weird, but they’ll do the trick. I walk down the road to the stadium, praying that nothing bad happens to me today. Nobody seems to recognize me, which is good. I really don’t want to talk to anybody except the few friends I have, which is essentially Ash, Clemont, Shauna, Tierno, and a couple of others. Everyone else has betrayed me or is an utter ass. For now, I’m in a good mood, however. I really try to be nice, I really do! But... the world is cruel. Unfair. And it treated me with a bad hand. I’m fearful of most people these days, fearing that they’ll try to assault me in the middle of the street, or worse, try to kill me! I’m just a Performer... <em>what did</em> <em>I ever do? </em>Perform? Be cute? Beat people? What did I do to deserve this? I remember back then on my first adventure with Ash, we had so much fun! Look what happened! People who has way too much time on their hands or are sick in the brain ruined the fun. I’ve turned into a fucking maniac. I just want to find someone that can understand me! Ash has been helpful, helping me through struggles. But, in the last couple of days... just shoot me and end it. Please. I’ve had enough. Of being assaulted. Catcalled. Sent horrible things in the mail. People trying to grab me. Just stop it all... I don’t want to deal with this anymore. The only people I would feel sorry for when I leave is my friends and Ash, but then again... will they feel sorry? Will they remember me? I have almost no reasons to keep going on. <br/><br/>Well, except for one at the moment.</p><p>“So Ash, ready to watch some performances?”</p><p>“You betcha! But I bet none of them are going to be as good as your’s.”</p><p>“Aww, don’t need to make me blush today...”</p><p>At least he’s here to brighten my day up. These last few days I’ve felt like absolute shit. I hope it gets better...</p><p>I see the beautiful performances. All of them just look so elegant and beautiful. They all look like they can go to the final! It’s shame I can only vote for one per group. I see beautiful arrays of moves and Pokemon and humans together. Ah, the glory of bonds. It’s a magical thing. Then, I heard a performer’s name I’d never heard of before in the second group. He was the last one. He and his Pokemon wore tall, black, gnome hats, and his Fennekin a tutu.</p><p>“Next up, please welcome... um... James McNeely and his performance, So Lucky! Will he be lucky enough to win the competition? We shall see! Oh God, can we please change the puns...”</p><p>“What? I’ve never heard of that person before...”</p><p>“And music in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”</p><p>Who the hell is this guy? Why are they all wearing gnome hats? <em>What the hell is going on?</em></p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>The light flashes at me. “SO LUCKY!”</p><p>The guitar solo plays. Lights flash all around me. I raise my hands and just try to be cool. I look over and see Skiddo hitting the nearby drum. All going to plan. Surprisingly. I thought this would be much worse. I had literally two days to prepare for this. It took me half a year to prepare for my Junior Eurovision performance! But, anime logic I guess. I look around. Monsieur Pierre is in shock. The couple I saw has their eyes wide open. The rest of the audience is the same. I expected it. It’s a song that’s basically just noise. But, I’m starting to worry I may have set the bar <em>too</em> <em>low. </em>The vocal part comes in. Let’s go.</p><p>“So lucky!<br/>Flashes, Ray-Ban glasses,<br/>I move with ease in my convertible breeze!<br/>So lucky!<br/>Martini, whisky on the rocks,<br/>Live from the top, my party never stops!<br/>So lucky!<br/>A winner, a dusk to dawn sinner<br/>Love traded in for lust, it’s emotions I don’t trust!<br/>So lucky!<br/>On top, the cream of the crop<br/>You know I love to rock, the fun will never stop!<br/>So lucky!”</p><p>This is... really dirty. But hey, if Eurovision allowed it, so can they probably. I see people in the audience, around 20 of them, staring in shock. Kinda expected after all the boring ballads. Ah well. Get used to it. </p><p>(Serena’s POV)</p><p>What in the actual... this isn’t good at all! It’s just a man in a ridiculously pointy black hat screaming random words and saying “So lucky!” How the hell is he even in this f*cking competition?!? Kick this dude out! “Ash, what the hell is this?”</p><p>“...I have no idea.”</p><p>“This man shouldn’t even be in the final... let alone compete!” If they allow this... I don’t even know what to say. I feel like he’s trying to make a mockery of the League! I worked my ass off for 6 <em>years</em> to get to Kalos Queen, and while I did get dethroned, <em>I am way better than this fucker from some God knows what land. </em>My anger is starting to rise. The shock passes. I’m fucking pissed.</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“You see, it’s all about me<br/>The servants and the king, I’m the ruler of the world<br/>So lucky!<br/>A tug, she pulls me like a drug<br/>I want her on the rug, but she’s not that kinda girl<br/>So lucky!!<br/>Woo!”</p><p>The slow part begins. I look over to my right and see Fennekin running towards me.</p><p>“Hahahahahaha... woo...<br/>I’m lucky...”</p><p>Fennekin makes a circle around me, then I pick it up. I see a handheld camera that they use for TV broadcasting pointed at me, so I look at it directly.</p><p>“ I see you where the lights glow<br/>You pull me in your private side show<br/>And now I see your moves in slo-mo<br/>I try to kiss you, but you slip away</p><p>Yet you never walk away from me<br/>Are you a shadow of what might be?<br/>Why should one woman stand above the rest?<br/>There is a mystery to you deep beneath the flesh”</p><p>Skiddo still is hitting the drum. This is going well. Very well.</p><p>“Those eyes pulling me in, a body made to sin<br/>But I can not win<br/>So lucky!<br/>Wait, I'm ready at the gate, don't tell me it's too late<br/>Her fire starts to melt my heart<br/>So lucky!</p><p>She's clean, not part of any scene<br/>She's more like a dream I don't want to wake up from<br/>So lucky!<br/>I see, she's somehow changing me<br/>She's where I want to be, can't stand a moment without her (so lucky)<br/>Anymore!”</p><p>This is so much fun. I love this. I may get a good result after all!</p><p>(Serena’s POV)</p><p>I’m about to be at my breaking point... this is just ridiculous. This man is going to ruin the whole league’s reputation! It’s like if a man with a hangover just got on stage and started singing! Karaoke bars are better than this! This is just noise!</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“I see you where the lights glow<br/>You pull me in your private side show<br/>And now I see your moves in slo-mo<br/>I try to kiss you, but you slip away</p><p>Yet you never walk away from me<br/>Are you a shadow of what might be?<br/>Why should one woman stand above the rest?<br/>There is a mystery to you deep beneath the flesh!”</p><p>All right, nearing the end. I do a few little dance moves at the end. Twirling around with my Fennekin and Skiddo eventually stops hitting the drum to be next to me. I decide to do a nice pose at the end.</p><p>“YEAAAAAAAAAAA~<br/>SO LUCKY!”</p><p>My Skiddo is in front, and I’m holding Fennekin to my right. He spits out a flame. To top it all off, I put a monocle in my eye. Just like the original performance. All while the last guitar note is playing. I look at the audience of 20 or so. They’re in absolute shock. Their eyes tell the whole story. I do hear some cheers. Claps happen. That’s nice. Out of 20, this is pretty good.</p><p>(Serena’s POV)</p><p>I can’t hold it in anymore. </p><p>“BOOOOO! YOU DON’T EVEN DESERVE TO BE EVEN IN THIS COMPETITION YOU ABSOLUTE-“</p><p>I honestly don’t want to be like this. I really don’t... but people just piss me off these days. Breakdowns happen pretty much almost every week nowadays. I want to be gone. I don’t ever want to do this again, honestly.</p><p><em>Please. Get me off of here. Let it all end. I don’t want to be like this ever again. </em><br/><br/>But, the anger persists. Until Ash or someone else stops me, I’ll probably go on for hours on end.</p><p>(James’s POV)</p><p>OK, maybe not so much now. Damn, who is that? I’ve dealt with hecklers before, but not at a rehearsal. That’s just a bit wild. I’ll have fun with this one. Either she’s having a mental breakdown and having a really, REALLY bad day, or this person just hates me. Either way, I’m still confused.</p><p>“What? I can’t hear you from here, y’know.”</p><p>“YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH YOU SHOULDN’T-“</p><p>(Ash’s POV)</p><p>This is getting out of hand. Need to stop her. I get she’s been having these problems for a long time. A very long time. But now, it’s in public. And it’s bad.</p><p>“Serena, would you please-“</p><p>“NO! I’M NOT DEALING WITH THIS SHIT ANYMORE!”</p><p>Oh boy. God, I used to remember her as the sweet, loving person. She still is, but... she can get really pissed off by some bad things now. It started when she entered the Grand Class. Stress piles on. A person tried to attack her once. Perverts make some... God, I don’t even wanna say. All this for 5 years. Then, she gets dethroned. I’m extremely worried for her. I gotta do something, but I don’t know what to do. I feel so awful.</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>Right... I eventually leave stage. She’s still screaming at me. I think she’s just having a bad day. I don’t know. I walk back into the paddock area, and see Diantha. She’s first in the running order. I’ll greet her a good luck.</p><p>“Hey, Diantha! How you doing?”</p><p>“Nervous, but I’m gonna try my best! Also, who’s that person screaming at you? Seems fun.”</p><p>“That’s the spirit! I just got done. What did you think of it?”</p><p>“Interesting, but I like it! Not the one who’s into rock like that, but it certainly stands out. I think you’re the first person I’ve seen to include vocals.”</p><p>“Well, that’s better than I expected, haha. I try my best to impress. And by the way, about that person- I have no idea.”</p><p>“Well, you’re one of the best I’ve seen today!”</p><p>“Thank you! How many minutes you got until you get to go onto that stage?”</p><p>“About 5.”</p><p>“All right, mind if I talk to you for a bit? I got nothing better to do.”</p><p>“Yea, sure.”</p><p>“All right. So, can I see your Pokemon?”</p><p>“Sure!” She opens them up. One is a pink ribbon dog, and the other is an... an alive keychain?! Huh. They both look somewhat cute, however.</p><p>“Aww, they’re so cute!” Girl has nice taste in cuteness. Oh God, I’m actually starting to love her...</p><p>“Thanks so much! Sylveon, Klefki, meet James! He’s my new friend.”</p><p>“Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!” I try to shake the ribbon of the Sylveon and a key of the Klefki. This feels awkward, but so cool!</p><p>“Diantha, you’re going to be amazing on stage. Good lu-“</p><p>All of a sudden, she hugs me.</p><p>“Thank you so much... for just believing in me. It really means a lot... I hope we can compete against each other for a long time, James!”</p><p>AHHHHHHHHH JESUS DOES SHE LIKE ME OR SOMETHING?!? IS THIS THE WAY THEY THANK PEOPLE IN KALOS?! I’M FREAKING OUTTTTTT-</p><p>“I’m more than happy to. Good luck, show them what you got up there!”</p><p>“Thanks so much! See ya in a bit!”</p><p>Well. That day was interesting. Actually, only half of the day. I’m gonna like today, aren’t I? I walk to the area of my green room. I ask if there’s any more rehearsals. Turns out rehearsals are only for the performances. Cool. I eventually sit down to watch the rest of the performances.</p><p>
  <em>Let the show begin.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Fly On the Wings of Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Undergoing major rewriting. WIP.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>TW/Mentions of suicide and mental problems/disorders</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>”Fly on the wings of love, fly, baby, fly<br/>
Reaching the stars above, touching the sky<br/>
<br/>
And as time goes by, there's a lot to try<br/>
And I'm feelin' lucky<br/>
In the softest sand, smiling hand in hand<br/>
Love is all around me<br/>
There's just one more thing I'd like to add<br/>
She's the greatest love I've ever had”-</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>The Olson Brothers, Fly On the Wings of Love, 2000</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>I eventually sit back in my chair in the Paddock Area. Everyone, with once again the exception of Diantha, is giving me a glare or talking shit about me. Like a give a rat’s ass. They’re mainly just talking about how weird I am and stuff. Yea, deal with it.</p>
<p>I sit back, and watch Diantha’s performance. “And now, please welcome Diantha Rivers, with her Sylveon and Klefki!”</p>
<p>Huh, I guess most people don’t give their performances names. As soon as the camera pans over to her, I hear some beautiful, charming music. It’s a bit more upbeat, but sounding more sweet. She doesn’t use vocals. Instead, she makes noises, not with her mouth, or signals. Those signals could be hand gestures or maybe foot taps.</p>
<p>It feels like an on land version of figure skating. Basically, it was dancing but with Pokemon. But damn, it was beautiful and not actually boring!</p>
<p>The Sylveon came in with peaceful music, and with elegant, smooth dancing from Diantha. Then, out of nowhere, the Klefki comes, somehow, in a bit more violent, rough but still retained some sweetness. The Klefki used its keys to make music. I mean, I’ve done that before. But then again, it’s not like the keys were living. And it actually sounded decent, elegant but with a twist at the end. Hey, instrumentals can be good. For a first timer, this is really, really good. It’s like a French Riverdance. I see moves from both- elegancy from Sylveon, boldness (somehow, don’t ask me) from Klefki.</p>
<p>The last minute consists of a combination of all three performing on the same stage and camera view. The three styles are mixed into a fabulous minute of instrumentals, dancing, and moves. At the end, Sylveon has one of its ribbons go around Diantha and Klefki lays on her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Damn... that was pretty good. Well, at least it’s worth knowing I have an actual opponent!”</p>
<p>“Thank you so much, everybody!” Aw, that’s a bit cute. Even though there’s around only like 20 people there. Still, it’s nice.</p>
<p>I see her walk off stage and suddenly enter the Paddock Area.</p>
<p>“Diantha, you did great! You’re most certainly going to win your group! The elegance, sweetness, and boldness of it was a great contrast of all three!”</p>
<p>“Aw, no need to make me blush today...”</p>
<p>Um... OK, I’ve only met and known her for two days. I get anime romance is weird and such... is this normal? Does she like me? Hell, I’ll take it. She is pretty and sweet...</p>
<p>“Haha, well I aim to please my friends.”</p>
<p>“I think I might have a chance along with you! What’s the odds as of now?”</p>
<p>“The odds? What, do people bet on this?”</p>
<p>“They’re over there.”</p>
<p>I look at the bookie odds, which is displayed on the TV screen. Yeah, apparently people bet on this. It read:</p>
<p>“BETTING ODDS:<br/>
Diantha Rivers +100<br/>
James McNeely-So Lucky +150<br/>
Miette McDowell +200<br/>
Lionel Rufus +250<br/>
Shauna Robinson +300<br/>
Ping Pong (Sameyakh) +500<br/>
Rybak’s Tale +600<br/>
R. James-Blasting Off at the Speed of Light +800<br/>
Ivy Harvick +1000”</p>
<p>Turns out I’m a front runner along with Diantha, and this blue haired girl named Miette who is in the first group. Pretty sure she was talking smack about me like a little bitch. Also seems to be kind of a diva.</p>
<p>“Yay, we’re both front runners!” I say.</p>
<p>“AHHHHH YES! I never expected me to be a front runner!”</p>
<p>I hear a bit of a snarky voice behind me. “So, I’m going against you two, hmm?”</p>
<p>“Gah!”</p>
<p>I’m gonna assume that’s Miette. “Indeed. I’m assuming you’re Miette, right?”</p>
<p>“I am. Can’t believe I have to against two trash entries. And they’re ahead of me. This is bullshit.”</p>
<p>“Just don’t mind her... she’s kinda known for being a rude person-“</p>
<p>“What in the absolute hell? Ever heard of something called ‘new ideas?’ Creativity? It’s obviously something you don’t have-“</p>
<p>“Your whole f*cking performance is just you screaming and your Pokemon running around! It’s a disgrace! And you, Diantha- in what way does it show the bonds of Pokemon and you?”</p>
<p>I look over, and see Diantha is about to just break down in tears.</p>
<p>“I’m just gonna say this, you stupid bitch. Bonds don’t have be shown with boring ballads. You can try this thing called ‘new ideas’. In fact, that’s probably the fact you’re still here.”</p>
<p>She stares in silence for a bit. Then, finally speaks. “Just letting you know- you two are disgraces to the Showcasing community. Can’t wait to see y’all get mauled in the Showcase.”</p>
<p>She eventually leaves and sits down, with a pout on her face. What a bitch. Diantha’s standing in shock, tears coming from her eyes. Oh no.</p>
<p>“Diantha, you OK-“</p>
<p>Then, she finally breaks, crying loudly. She screams in the chaos of the talking and screaming of the Paddocks, “WHY AM I NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR ANYONE?!”</p>
<p>OK, from my experiences with her, she seems to really lack confidence, due to people just shitting on her dreams. I feel awful for her. She’s super sweet, and all she gets is rudeness. As a person who has dealt with that before, I get how she feels. Let’s not make her go through that.</p>
<p>“Diantha, you’re actually leading! You’re one of the best in this competition! You’re even beating me! Don’t ever listen to them- you have an amazing chance of winning!”</p>
<p>“I do?”</p>
<p>“Yeah! Stop feeling so unconfident- you’re doing amazing, girl. She’s just jealous you’re doing better than her, and she’s probably been in this competition for years!”</p>
<p>She sniffles and finally stops tearing up. “I guess so...”</p>
<p>“Don’t guess so! I KNOW so, and I can most certainly prove it!”</p>
<p>Silence between us lasts for a few seconds. Diantha, being as kind as can be, just gives me a quiet “Thank you so much,” and, instead of sitting in her chair, eventually decides to sit in my space in the Paddocks.</p>
<p>“Umm... why are you sitting in my chair?”</p>
<p>“Because I’d like to watch with you!”</p>
<p>“Um... why?”</p>
<p>“You know, maybe to get to know each other better? You’re a great person to talk to, y’know.”</p>
<p>This is some weird anime romance shit. But I’ll gladly take it at this rate.</p>
<p>I eventually sit down next to Diantha, just staggeringly confused and blushing like mad. Diantha eventually spoke up.</p>
<p>“So... what led you to wanting to perform?”</p>
<p>“I’m actually a singer myself, and I wanted to try my hand at performing! Albeit, I had never really performed with Pokemon until now. What about you?”</p>
<p>“I had my Sylveon and Klefki next to me, while flipping through the TV one night. Then, I saw something that caught my eye. It was a girl in a beautiful red dress, long, blonde hair, and a cute Fennekin right next to her. It was a runway performance. It looked stunning- absolute beautiful! That’s how I first saw my idol, Serena Yvonne. Her Fennekin did unfortunately make a rare mistake and tripped on its dress, however. She lost in the first set of eliminations. I think Shauna Armeniox won that Showcase. They’re both in the Grand Class now, becoming international superstars in the process.”</p>
<p>So that’s how famous Serena is, huh? Dang, must be like being a famous singer like Taylor Swift or something. It’s hard on you.</p>
<p>“Ah, well that’s neat! So, tell me about this Serena girl.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Serena? She’s really nice, and she has this really sweet boyfriend named Ash Ketchum. He’s kinda known for being a heart throb, he had lots of girls like him. Like Misty Waterflower, who’s the leader of the Cerulean City Gym.”</p>
<p>Well, nice to know she liked him. But why didn’t he date Misty, however? Gotta get someone to explain that to me one day. “Albeit, he can be a bit of a... how do I say this... idiot sometimes.” Well, that’s kinda obvious, even if you’ve watched like one episode of the series. Pokemon Master, my ass. “He lost so many times. 6 to be exact. He FINALLY won in the Alola League like 4 years ago. But, after that it seemed like he became an idiot again and now usually gets his ass handed to him.”</p>
<p>Hmm... I guess Clemont was right.</p>
<p>“How good is Serena?”</p>
<p>“She’s amazing! But she’s on a break as of now, just as a nice mental health and relaxation break, from what I’ve heard.”</p>
<p>“Ahh...” That is not the case, and I know that from Clemont. She’s going through some tough shit. But, I’ll keep it private for the respect of her privacy. “So, what did you do before performing?”</p>
<p>“I went to school. It was... pretty bad. I had few friends. Not many people really liked me, because I wasn’t ‘cool’ enough for them, I guess. When I made the transition to become a performer, everyone made fun of me. They said things like ‘Oh, haha you’ll never make it you f*cking idiot’ and stuff like that. It really hurt... but I kept pushing on, because at least I had my parents who believed in me. My friends, or what few I had left, also betrayed me. They never believed in me. They trashed me. I really try to be nice to people, I really do.”</p>
<p>Jesus... but I can relate to that, too. The world is cruel. “I know how it feels... I went through the same thing. I, like you didn’t really have any friends. I was a loner. I once had a girlfriend- but she treated me so horribly that I then just distrusted my peers in general. I had one good friend. He was the best. We’d always play together, do stuff together, man, it was fun... but his mental health deteriorated. Fast. Due to I think family issues. It got bad. He was constantly cutting, drinking alcohol, hell even doing drugs. Then, one day, the one thing I wish never happened did. He committed suicide with a gunshot to the head. It was... shocking and depressing. Then, my mental health problems arose. I became paranoid of everyone- I thought everyone hated me. I distrusted everyone. I went to a therapist, she helped a bit. I was still a loner, however. But, my one getaway was singing. That’s what kept me away from the real world.” Honestly, I felt really comfortable talking to her. I actually related to her. I could tell her things and she wouldn’t make fun or berate me because of those things. She was just the sweetest, kindest person I’ve met...</p>
<p>“Yeah, the world is tough. I’m sorry you had to go through all of those things.” She places her hand on mine. This is... I can’t even explain... “I’m so, so happy to have come across you. You’re a really, really great person to be with.” Her face is starting to get nearer. It’s pure bliss... don’t let this moment end, please. I’ve found a true friend to be with. Please, let it go on...</p>
<p>*ding dong*</p>
<p>“With the conclusion of Sameyakh performing, that officially ends rehearsals. Please leave the Paddock, performers. Get home safely, and we shall see you tomorrow!”</p>
<p>“Eh?”</p>
<p>“What the? Crap, it’s already the end of rehearsals?” She looks around, shocked. All the performers are getting ready to leave.<br/>
She realizes what’s happened. “GAHHHHHH! Oh dear God, I got so distracted that I completely forgot we were almost done! i’m so sorry!”</p>
<p>“Shoot, already? And, it’s fine. I was actually starting to quite it... let’s just continue talking tomorrow, OK?”</p>
<p>She blushes. “Yea, that’ll do...”</p>
<p>I start to blush too. Admittingly. “Well, I guess I’ll see ya tomorrow, then.”</p>
<p>“Wait, before you go. You don’t mind if we could trade numbers? Even though I don’t have many friends, I still have a phone, y’know.”</p>
<p>“Of course!” I check my phone. Turns out I haven’t texted anyone yet. Might need to text Clemont eventually. Diantha eventually writes her number on a slip of paper and hands it to me.</p>
<p>“Well, I guess it’s time to part our separate ways, huh Diantha?”</p>
<p>“I guess...I wish I had a little bit more time, however.”</p>
<p>“I’ll text ya when I get back to my hotel room, OK?”</p>
<p>“Yep, sounds good. Bye, James!”</p>
<p>“See ya, good luck tomorrow!”</p>
<p>“You too!”</p>
<p>I head on a bus back to the Prism Tower, still in a romantic daze over Diantha. Damnit, I was so close... I actually could’ve gotten a kiss from a girl who was actually nice and cared about me. And, she was probably the cutest girl I’ve seen in a long time... ah, at least I can still text her. And there’s always tomorrow.</p>
<p>(Diantha’s POV)</p>
<p>I’m in an absolute daze and practically drunk in love. Did I just try to kiss someone? A boy for that matter?! Gah, what am I thinking... I know he’s one of my friends and all, and stunningly handsome, but damnit, you’ve only known him for a couple of days! This was supposed to be a day of me being nervous and rehearsing my performance, but I got so much more... and I can’t get enough of it. At the very least, he’ll text me later. That’s nice to hear.</p>
<p>Honestly, it just feels amazing to know that you can finally relate to someone, someone can actually talk to you and not trash you for just saying things, and on the plus side, he’s handsome as hell and super nice! Ah, I can’t focus on that now, I got a performance to do! Performance now, James later.</p>
<p>I’d never thought I could just fangirl over a boy, but here we are... I hope to see you again tomorrow.</p>
<p>(James’ POV)</p>
<p>I arrive back at the hotel. Clemont greets me as soon as I walk in.</p>
<p>“Hey, future winner! I saw your rehearsals on a livestream. It was a hit! Fans loved it! You may have a chance to win the whole thing!”</p>
<p>“Really? I had someone scream at me at how terrible it was, but OK...”</p>
<p>“You have one of the most popular songs as of now, behind Diantha Rivers. If you can beat her in the finals, you’re become one of the few people to win their first key in their first performance! Even Serena couldn’t do that, albeit that wasn’t really her fault...”</p>
<p>“Ah, well I’m gonna head up to my hotel room now and maybe take a well deserved nap. I’ll talk to ya later, man.”</p>
<p>“All right! Good luck tomorrow!”</p>
<p>Man. All I can say is- that was a good rehearsal and a good day. I can’t wait for tomorrow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Making Friends and Thinking About Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Creator’s Note: This is filler, it has nothing important except some cute fluff, random texts, and James freaking out on how phones work. If you are not interested in reading that, please skip to Chapter 11. I really only created this because hey, I thought it would be cute and fun</p><p>This is also going major rewriting. Will probably be the one that’s rewritten the most.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Are you ready for a little chat<br/>And a song about the Internet?<br/>It’s a story ’bout a social door<br/>You’ve never seen before<br/><br/>If you wanna be seen by everyone<br/>Wanna be in the dream and have some fun<br/>If you wanna be on the hook<br/>Then simply take a look”</em></p><p>
  <em>Valentina Monetta, The Social Network Song, 2012</em>
</p><p>I arrive back to my room, and decide to text Clemont and Diantha. And, to look up vital information about Showcases and Pokemon in general.</p><p>”<em>Hey this Clemont? This is James</em>”</p><p>I wait a bit.<em> Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.</em></p><p><em>”</em>You got the right person! But I’ll ttyl- kinda busy rn at work, it sucks man”</p><p>
  <em>Piss.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>”Crap. See ya later ig”</em>
</p><p>That didn’t work... what about good ol’ Diane? The girl who likes me?</p><p>I grab the slip of paper from my pockets and punch in the numbers. I notice there’s hearts around the number. Aw, that’s sweet! She really does like me, huh? Maybe after the performance, I can ask her out or something... that would be a first for me!</p><p>“<em>Hey! This Diantha? This is James from rehearsals, how’s it goin”</em></p><p>
  <em>Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.</em>
</p><p>Y’know, this is pretty boring. Also, I realize that I don’t have any social media. Nor any knowledge of any Pokemon related apps. I might need to learn about that. I wonder if Twitter or Facebook exists. </p><p>“<em>Ding!</em>”</p><p><em>“</em>Hey! Yep, it’s me. Doing well, what about you” After around 20 seconds or so, she responds.</p><p>“Fine. Life’s a bit boring rn. What you doing?”</p><p>”Just hanging out in my room, being bored as I can be. You?”</p><p>”I can relate to that lol”</p><p>“You want to FT?”</p><p>”Sure!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. “What’s your name, man?”: Pre-Show</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Creator’s note: This is gonna be a long one. Just hang in with me yall</p><p>Will also go thru major rewriting. Help.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>The key is to trust in your preparation. You have done all you can, so focus on that fact. You will remain the same person before, during and after the race, so the result, however important, will not define you. The journey is what matters.” ~ Chrissie Wellington</em></p><p> </p><p>I wake up at 6:30. The alarm clock finally works. Good. Rehearsals are at 7:45. Autographs at 12. Red carpet qt 2. Main event at 4. I have an hour and 15 minutes. I change into decent clothes, grab my Pokemon, eat breakfast, and immediately grab a bus ticket to Lumiose City Stadium. Unfortunately, no Diantha to talk to on this bus ride. Just people going to the stadium to watch rehearsals. I feel today is going to be great. I have a real shot of winning! And, afterwards a nice, relaxing date with Diantha... maybe I’ll even get my first kiss. But I can’t think of that now. I can’t. I have a performance to think of. One that could make or break me. For now, though, I’ll just relax myself by downloading some games on the way to the stadium, and eventually playing them while waiting for introductions. I look through the app store and find a berry picker and puzzle games. Ah well, it’ll suit me for the time being. Internet was slow, so it took a bit to download.</p><p>The bus finally arrives at the stadium. I hurry my ass over, and reach the Paddocks. It’s a bit hectic. Fans, staff, organizers, and 9 performers are all in the stadium. I follow the signs and eventually I reach the Paddocks at 7:15. Still got 30 minutes. I sit down, and wait for the organizers to tell me it’s go time. To pass the time, I decide to just play the games I downloaded. But soon after, I hear a voice calling me.</p><p>“James, you ready to get creamed in the competition?” Wow. That sounded dirty. But f*ck her and her Silvia Night like attitude. At least Silvia Night was tolerable and y’know, A JOKE. And her song is an ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE. Her’s is just shit.</p><p>“Nah. Ready to f*cking win.”</p><p>“Mhm. They just feel sorry for you. You’re a first timer.”</p><p>“And how did you do during your first time?” “I- uh... well that’s not important! What is important is that you’re barely even going to win. Only two will advance to the actual final, and I know damn well your weird hats and tutu ain’t gonna make it. You don’t even have a real makeup artist!”</p><p>She eventually just walks away, jealous. I- whaaaa? That’s weird. Oh well, I guess I’ll just play on my phone. I pick the puzzle game I downloaded. As usual, it has a ton of ads. Can’t get away with first world problems. But, once I get through it, I’m able to play the game. I chose hard mode, because hey, how hard can puzzles be? The puzzle was fairly simple. A completed puzzle is shuffled and you have to shuffle it back into place. Only thing is- the picture is moving. That made it way harder. And, embarrassingly, I think I got a little too into it. I was legit struggling with trying to find the correct spot for the pieces.</p><p>“Let’s see here... Oh God, I have no idea what I’m doing.” It takes me a damn good ten minutes to just complete the damn thing. It gave me one star out of five because I completed it so slow. “OH C’MON GAME AT LEAST I TRIED-“ Then, suddenly I feel some sort of hand touch my shoulder and hear a sort of flirty voice.</p><p>“Hey James! Whatchu doing?” I’m pretty sure I make a noise I’ve never made before. I look over and see a girl with brown hair and blue eyes.</p><p>“Oh, it’s just you, Diantha... no need to scare me like that!” “Oh c’mon, it wasn’t THAT scary. I wasn’t even trying to scare you.”</p><p>“OK, I got a little bit too into this puzzle game. I was focusing on it until you scared me half to death.”</p><p>“Oh really?”</p><p>“Yea...”</p><p>“Well, there’s five minutes until they call us up and seven minutes before Pierre gives opening remarks. Wanna just hang for a bit? I just got here. Traffic slowed me down.”</p><p>“Oh, sure! I got a good 10 minutes anyway.”</p><p>“Well, glad to hear that.” She sits in my chair, and now I’m starting to just slightly blush. I feel like an absolute idiot. Fennekin and Skiddo are near me, doing their own thing. She notices them. “Hey, don’t mind if I could maybe talk to Fennekin and Skiddo?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, yea not at all. Go right ahead.” But, an interruption happens. I hear a loud, booming voice from the PA system.</p><p>“Performers! Please stand by for important info. It will detail on basic information. Please stand by.”</p><p>This is already becoming a shitshow. “They should’ve done this yesterday.” I mean, hell this is just badly organized.</p><p>“Yea, the organizers are stupid.”</p><p>“Performers! This is a message on basic information you should know. To enter the runway, please wait for your group to be called up. Group 1 will be called in approximately three minutes. Organizers will help you lead you to behind the curtains. Once Pierre calls you, enter the stage and go through the runway. Go through the runway, and at the end of the runway will be curtains so that you can exit the runway and enter the Paddocks before your performance. Each group before their respective performances will be called. First person goes up and performs. We will then have a 40 second interval where the first leaves and the second performer enters. Repeat for every performer, and this will apply for every group. Remember- we are only rehearsing for the semi finals. The finals event shall be kept secret until the main event. If you are indeed the winner of a group and are in the top two, you will be called up and you will enter the stage, where the finals event will be called. Good luck, and may the odds be in your favor.”</p><p>Holy Christ, this is one of the most unorganized events I’ve seen. This is ridiculous. But, as a person who has done these kind od events a lot, you get used to the runways, the introductions. It’s all just regular stuff. “So, you ready for introductions?”</p><p>“Yea! Just don’t want to pull a Serena, though.”</p><p>“Well, it’s only rehearsals. It’s not televised or anything.”</p><p>“I guess so...”</p><p>“ALL RIGHT, FIRST GROUP IS UP! Please order yourself in the correct order. Second group, get ready to be called.” I put on everything with the exception of the hat. It’ll be a nice surprise for the public. I call my Fennekin and Skiddo, and tell them to do their best. Then, another booming voice comes over the PA system.</p><p>“Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen! In a minute we will start rehearsals. Thank you for being here. I just want to point out a few things- root for your favorite performer! They are the future of Showcases. Names are made here. When you hear the all famous theme, just go crazy! Performers love to hear it. Now, let’s get things underway!” The crowd cheers pretty loudly.</p><p>“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, start intro.” The famous theme plays. The crowd roars. Jeez, it’s just rehearsals. I’m pretty sure it’s just a way for the league to make more money because hey, capitalism at it’s finest. I look at the TV screen that’s placed in the Paddocks. I wait for the intro to end. Cameras enter the Paddocks so that I guess they can get a look at us behind the scenes. No big deal- seen this before. When the red dot appears and points at you, give a quick wave and your best smile. Or something that makes you look cute. Maybe something that’ll get you a few stans. The video switches over to a camera that’s at the top of the stadium. It moves closer and closer to Pierre. It stops, and the crowd eventually dies down a bit. Some techno background music plays.</p><p>“Bienvenue, viewers, and welcome to the Lumiose City Rookie Class Showcase! Nine of the future generation of stars shall perform in front of your eyes today. Now, I don’t want to waste too much time, so let’s get to know our contestants!” Dancers fill the stage. I see the first performer go out.</p><p>“Bienvenue, Ivy Harvick!”</p><p>One down.</p><p>“SECOND GROUP, YOU’RE UP! Third group, get ready.” I rush my ass over to the organizers, and my Pokemon follow me.</p><p>“Good luck, James!”</p><p>“Yep, you too Diantha.”</p><p>“Welcome, Miette McDowell!” The crowd wildly boos. That’s expected. The organizers lead me to a curtain that once you open it, it takes you to the stage.</p><p>“Bienvenidos, Ricky James!”</p><p>Three down. Two to go. The interval performance starts. It lasts for 40 seconds. I wait, a little bit anxiously. “You ready?” They both nod. “Awesome. Make sure to stay by my side, OK?” Again, they nod. I make some last second preparations to get ready.</p><p>“And now, the performers of the second group! Willkommen, Rybak!”</p><p>One to go.</p><p>“Welkom, Shauna Robinson!” Here we go. Even though it’s only rehearsals, it’s my first chance to reveal myself to the public. Let’s get this underway.</p><p>“Velkommen, James McNeely!” The curtains open. I run up, wave at the audience, and give my best smile. “Fennekin, spit some fire!” It spits out a marvelous array of flames. It’s beautiful! I make my way down the runway. During the time, I wave, maybe pump my fist once or twice, and leave. I’ll save the best for last during the actual competition. I hit the end of the runway, and go through the curtains. Organizers lead me and the rest of the group back to the Paddocks. Now, time to prepare for the competition. For right now, however, I guess it’s back to the phone and playing.</p><p>“Tervetuloa, Diantha Rivers!”</p><p>“Benvenuto, Lionel Rufus!”</p><p>“Shalom, Sameyakh!” After that, another dance happened. Then, Monsieur Pierre in his Frenchy accent appeared again.</p><p>“What a marvelous showing of our fellow Performers and Pokemon! Now, since this is only rehearsals, we shall only have three performers perform on stage.”</p><p>
  <strong>WHAT.</strong>
</p><p>“Those three will all come from different groups. They will serve as test dummies to see if the stage design team did it’s job. But, also, at the end, you, the fans, shall be able to vote for your favorite entry out of the three! This will serve to see if the Glow Casters work and will also serve as possible betting odds.”</p><p>“Oh, you have GOT TO BE SHITTING ME.”</p><p>“Those three are: Miette McDowell, Shauna Robinson, and Sameyakh!” I... I can’t even. So I came here for practically <strong><em>NOTHING?! </em>DAMNIT. </strong>Unbelievable. Can I just go back to bed? I woke up too damn early for this. I came here to perform, not just introduce myself. Eh, I got a bit until Autographs, anyway. See ya in an hour. I can’t believe this bullshit. Peace out.</p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>That. Felt. Amazing! Hearing all the people cheer, me walking down the runway with my Pokemon next to me, and the atmosphere just felt surreal. It’s a whole other world! But, enough of that. Maybe I’ll talk to James.</p><p>”Hey, Jam-“ Oh. He’s sleeping. Aw, he looks really cute while sleeping. Guessing he’s just really tired. Can’t really blame him. He had to wake up early. Well... since I can’t really talk to him, I guess I’ll just get some Lumiose Galettes. I’ll get some for him, too. It’s the least I can do. Well, see ya. For a bit. </p><p>(An hour later, James’ POV)</p><p>I wake up from my nap, still feeling a bit groggy and my mind absolutely fried. I vaguely hear the sounds of Pokemon screaming and people talking.</p><p>”Hey, sleepyhead. You finally awake?”</p><p>”The- whaaaa?”</p><p>”You awake? I brought you some <em>snacks~”</em></p><p>OK, if one thing can wake me up, it’s most certainly <em>snacks.</em> Yes please.</p><p>”Snacks? What kind?”</p><p>”Lumiose Galettes! I bought some for you.”</p><p>”What’s a Galette?”</p><p>“You’ve never had one!?”</p><p>”Um... not really?”</p><p>”You are so unbelievable. Here.”</p><p>I take one from her hands. It’s brown in color, and has a nice design on it. I take a bite. It’s a bit like a wafer- it has a nice, sweet filling inside of it. It’s... pretty good.</p><p>”Hey, this is pretty good! How much did this cost?”</p><p>”80 a pop. Usually costs 100, but they gave me a discount because of apparently, I had style. Confusing, but I’ll take it.”</p><p>So you’re saying local delicacies cost the same as balls that can transform creatures at sub atomic levels? You have a weird sense of pricing and economics, Pokemon.</p><p>”Wow. Seems kinda expensive.”</p><p>“Not really. That’s not even expensive. That’s cheap. If you want expensive, try the Sushi High Roller. 250,000 dollars for a five course meal.”</p><p>“PFFFT- 250,000!?”</p><p>”Yep. But, I’d be more than happy to cook something for you sometime. I can make some great PokePuffs and some other food as well. And, I’d be willing to cook for free.”</p><p>”Thanks for the offer, and while I would love to one day, maybe not now, haha. Would love to try it maybe after the competition or if we have some free time.”</p><p>”It’s fine. So... you want to-“</p><p>”Performers! As of now, the media and fan zones are open. Please head to the fan zone for autographs, and, if you’re lucky enough, maybe an interview.”</p><p>”Well, maybe after doing whatever. So, ready for your hand to die?” Trust me, autographs can be a real bitch sometimes.</p><p>”Oh c’mon, it can’t be that bad.”</p><p>”OH. BAHAHAHA. You’ll see.”</p><p>The organizers lead us all outside to a big table, and just near us is a big line of fans waiting for autographs and photos. Sweet merciful crap. Y’all know we’re just the rookies, right? The organizers give me some cards, around 500 or so. I take a look at them. They have a picture of me and my Pokemon on the front, and on the back is a nice blue background with the “Pokemon Showcasing League” logo on it. Reminds me of Pokemon trading cards. It also has a nice bio on the back. I leave two for a personalized card for my family, if I ever did manage to come back, and another personalized for Diantha. The rest went to the fans. </p><p>I see lots of people. From kids and their parents, to um... probably creepy men, and everywhere else in between. None of them went after me- I’m a guy. But Miette looked like she was uncomfortable with almost <em>every</em> single guy. She only really tried to look somewhat nice to kids. Shauna had a few people flirt with her. Rybak was popular with the ladies- he had them swooning for him. I wasn’t too popular- but I did have a few people ask for pictures and personalized autographs. Diantha was extremely popular. She got through all the cards within an hour. There were two creepy men trying to flirt with her- but, I gave them the evil eye and they left. I have a pretty good “get the actual f*ck away from this person” face. I’m willing to protect her. I won’t let her just become like Serena. But, anyways, eventually, I got through most of them. Y’all should’ve gotten autographs from the future winners. It might be valuable.</p><p>”So, how’s your right hand?”</p><p>”<b>HELP.”</b></p><p>“What did I say? It kills your hand.”</p><p>”How is writing your name in cursive so hard?”</p><p>”Don’t ask me.”</p><p>A couple more people go by. “Hey, um... James, right? I see you could be the winner per the odds!”</p><p>”Well, I do my best... wait a minute, is that you-“</p><p>”SHSHSHSHSH. I’m trying to get you more popular! I have some clout, y’know. If they show me like shaking hands with you, you’ll be noticed. I got TV cameras and paparazzi on me already.”</p><p>”I- OK, sure. Let me just get into the act for a minute.”</p><p>“Fine.” I wait for five seconds.</p><p>”So, James, you don’t mind if I could get a photo with you?”</p><p>”Yea, of course.” I take a picture with Clemont, with TV cameras pointed at us. I give my best smile.</p><p>”All right, we’re in the clear. Well, you genuinely could win. Just don’t screw this up. Oh, and by the way- can I get an autographed Performer Card?”</p><p>”Oh- yea, of course my man.” I write, “Thank you, Clemont for being my first friend. It means a lot, and hope I can get back to the real world soon!</p><p>Talk to ya later, James M.”</p><p>”Here ya go.”</p><p>”Thanks! Hope you win!” Huh. That’s a good PR strategy. I get through all of the cards, surprisingly. I even got to take a few pictures with fans. It’s always nice. Takes about an hour and a half for all the cards to be signed, then I leave. I put the two of the cards in my armpit. I really need to find a bag. How I’ve survived this long without some sort of bag, I have no idea. Might need to go buy one. <br/>
<br/>
I head back to the Paddocks. I’ll go to the Media Center later. I decide to sign the last two cards I have. Actually, at this point, I’m pretty sure she’s into me. Maybe I’ll ask her out on a date on the card. That would be nice...</p><p>”Dear Beloved Family,</p><p>if this card ever makes it to you, I’m more than ecstatic to see you again. Thing is- I traveled to a whole other world in that car crash. The world is surreal- it is one filled with peace, where humans and creatures mingle peacefully. It is one that is modern- very modern. I have made friends there- and hopefully, there will be some kind of method that could help me travel from one world to the next at my own free will. I want to see this world again if and when I leave. But, I have missed you. So much. I’m happy to have given this to you as proof and a souvenir to show you from the other world. Until we meet again, I guess. I hope to see you soon and to give this card to you.</p><p>Love you, James M.”</p><p>That’s one down. Pokemon will never be the same when I leave. All my life I thought it was psychopaths and 10 year old runaways battling animals. That’s... mostly true. With a few exceptions. For some reason, however, the people that battle Pokemon love their Pokemon very much. They treat them as their friend, their babies. You wouldn’t know any better that they battle them to the death. Or, excuse me, “<em>fainting.</em>” I really don’t get why they battle them. Performances I get, at least. After <em>experiencing</em> the world first hand, you’ll never get the same experience as playing a copy of Pokemon Red or watching the anime. Unless if I find a way back. Now, where was I? I’m getting too off track.</p><p>”To Diantha Rivers, </p><p>Thank you for being so understanding, kind, and sweet to me. No one has really been this nice to me, let alone a girl. And we’ve really known each other for a couple of days! It really means a lot you are so nice to me. You are very talented- you are most certainly going to win many Showcases. I wish nothing but the best for you. I hope this relationship can last a very long time. <strike>Y’know, I don’t know how to ask this but... maybe we can go on a date sometime? You’re honestly really nice, funny, and cute.</strike> Anyways, thank you. So much. It really means a lot that you care for me.</p><p>Love, James M.”</p><p>OK MAYBE I SHOULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN THAT. OH GOD WHAT IF SHE CAN READ IT?! Ugh... I’m such a dumbass. Well... I took the effort to write it. I’ll give it to her. But I hope she doesn’t see what I crossed out.</p><p>I walk up to her area in the Paddocks and take a seat, blushing. “Hey! So... I thought I would give this to you as a present for all the nice things you’ve done for me. I had a couple leftover, so I signed one for you with a personalized message.”</p><p>She’s already starting to turn red. “Oh, I- aww... I don’t even know what to say other than thank you.”</p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>Did he just- James, no need to make me blush today...</p><p>I read the message. “To Diantha Rivers, </p><p>Thank you for being so understanding, kind, and sweet to me. No one has really been this nice to me, let alone a girl. And we’ve really known each other for a couple of days! It really means a lot you are so nice to me. You are very talented- you are most certainly going to win many Showcases. I wish nothing but the best for you. I hope this relationship can last a very long time.” I certainly would love for it to be that way. Then, I notice something that got crossed out.</p><p>”<strike>Y’know, I don’t know how to ask this but... maybe we can go on a date sometime? You’re honestly really nice, funny, and cute.”</strike> I- did he just ask me out on a date? And then he crossed it out? Is he nervous that I’ll reject him or something?</p><p>”James... did you just ask me out on a date?”</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>SHIT. SHE READ IT. WELP I’M SCREWED. Might as well admit it.</p><p>”Um... honestly, yes. I’d love to one of these days, and you’re about the best person I’ve known for a long time. I would really love to. If you don’t, I understand.” I’m so dead... or this could go really well. But mostly I’m screwed.</p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>I can’t believe it. Did the boy of my dreams just ask me out on a date? This has to be a dream, right? It just has to. I can’t believe I managed to fall in love with a guy this quick, and then he likes me back, too?! He’s been just a total sweetheart to me. He’s funny, cute, caring, sweet, and just charming! No one has really been so nice and kind to me before. I really don’t regret liking this guy so fast. At all. I’d love to go on a date with him! I’d also love to leave a certain mark on his face... ah, who am I kidding. Come here, you.</p><p>(James’s POV)</p><p>I wait anxiously for an answer. It’s a few, awkward silence. She’s blushing like hell, steams practically coming from her ears. She’s just... flattered by it. That’s when I realize that... for the first time, I really have someone other than my family who cared for me. Who liked me for who I was. It felt like pure bliss. I had really fell in love with an anime girl. I don’t regret this. At all. Then, all of a sudden, I feel arms wrap around my body. I hear a quiet whisper in my ear.</p><p>”I’d love to, James. I’d love to do anything with you.” Chills go down my spine. I don’t think about anything else. Just the fact that a girl had actually liked me for who I was. Then, I feel something soft like a cloud touch my cheek. My eyes look over, and find that her lips are kissing my cheek. No way this is happening. No damn way. I had really fell in love with an anime girl within the span of <em>days</em>, and she likes me back, too?! <br/>
<br/>
“Did... you just kiss me?” I feel incredibly love drunk and stupid. Yea, she obviously did James. And you love it.</p><p>”OH NONONO GOSH I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN TO-“</p><p>”No, I really enjoyed it! I mean... you can do it again if you want-“ </p><p>”JAMES! MEDIA CENTER PRONTO!” OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME. Well, f*ck! I turn around, and see Clemont trying to lead me to the Media Center.</p><p>”WHAT- oh, hey Clemont! VERY AWKWARD TIME TO CALL ME OUT RIGHT NOW.”</p><p>”James, I- oh... um, do you need some time?”</p><p>”What do you mean?l”</p><p>”You have a kiss mark on your face... maybe take a look at yourself. I’m OK with you two being lovebirds, but I would rather like it if you could come with me for the time being.” Dude kinda sounded disappointed and jealous. </p><p>“I- OK. Diantha, I’ll be right back.”</p><p>”It’s OK, take your time. I got lots, anyways. Besides... we got that date today, y’know?” Well, that’s kind of her. </p><p>“Haha, well thank-“</p><p>”LET’S GO YOU LUCKY SON OF A BITCH.” He said that in a jealous voice.</p><p>”Never had a girlfriend, huh?”</p><p>”I’m not jealous! I’m happy for you two! Just like Ash and Serena!”</p><p>”I’m gonna take that as a no, buddy. You’ll find someone soon, you actually have a good personality.”</p><p>”I mean, Bonnie always tries to set me up, but usually they don’t like me. Ugh... man, I miss Korrina...”</p><p>”Who’s that?”</p><p>”IT’S NOT IMPORTANT! Go into the changing rooms and clean your face!”</p><p>”Fine.” You’ll get your girl one day, Clemont. I believe in you. You’re nerdy, but sweet and admittingly a bit handsome. One day.</p><p>I run and take a look at the nearest mirror at the changing station nearby. I check my face, and low and behold: a rose colored kiss mark on my right cheek. Shit, I’m going to have to clean that off. But, I really wanna leave it... it’s my first kiss. Ah, screw it. I take a selfie of my face, to remember this all happened, and wipe it off. I leave, thinking about the moment.</p><p>”OK, can we go now?”</p><p>”Yep. Got it off my face.”</p><p>”Good. Follow me to the media center. I was able to get media credentials for today.”</p><p>”Are you the person that’s interviewing me?”</p><p>”OHHHHHH NOOOO. Way too nervous for that. You’re going to have someone else interview you.”</p><p>”Who?”</p><p>”William Adams Lee from PokéShowBlogs. He’s one of the top reporters. You should be honored you’re getting interviewed with him.” I feel like I’ve heard of that name before...</p><p>”Ah, that’s wonderful! But how’d you get credentials?”</p><p>“I’m a Gym Leader. Admittingly, we get free VIP stuff all the time. Follow me this way.” I follow Clemont into a room with William who is sitting, along with an empty chair. A cameraman is pointing at the two seats along with a background. I hear William’s high pitched voice.</p><p>“Hey! What’s your name, man?”</p><p>”James McNeely. Might need to change my identity, haha.”</p><p>”Ooooo, very unique! I like it! Well, you ever been in an interview before?”</p><p>”Yea.”</p><p>”Well, you don’t need to be so stiff with us! Just relax, have fun, and have a good time! I’m just going to ask you a few questions.”</p><p>”Sounds fair enough.”</p><p>”You ready?”</p><p>”Yep. Clemont, you want in?”</p><p>”NOPE I’M FINE RIGHT NOW THANK YOU.” Me and William both laugh.</p><p>“Haha, I thought you’re used to these sorta things, my dude!”</p><p>”Oh c’mon, it’s not even related to Gym Battles!”</p><p>”Ah, well. Well, whenever you’re ready to start William.”</p><p>“All right. Quiet on the set!” A pause happens. No one talks.</p><p>”We’re going live, in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” I quickly put on a smile and look at the camera.</p><p>“Hello, fellow PokeShow fans, and welcome to the Rookie Class Showcase from the marvelous Lumiose City! I’m here with James McNeely, one of the first timers and the second favorite over the projected winner, the daughter of the famous movie star, Diantha Rivers Sr., Diantha Rivers!” Way to rub it in, buddy. Also, wait a minute. The hell? She’s the daughter of a famous movie star? “James, what has led you to being such a favorite?”</p><p>“Well, you gotta try something new once in a while. That usually works.”</p><p>”Ooooo, you are bringing the heat!”</p><p>”Well, that’s what you have to bring if you want to win.”</p><p>(Diantha’s POV)</p><p>I can’t believe I actually went up and kissed the guy! Not just like a hug or anything, I actually <em>kissed </em>him! I feel so elated and happy, but extremely shocked at the same time! And I get to go on a date with him?! This is amazing!</p><p>”So, what have you been up to, Diantha?”</p><p>”Oh, hey Clemont! Nice to see you again!”</p><p>”I am SO jealous of you right now. You managed to get a date?!”</p><p>I blush a bit. “Um... yeah. He’s so sweet and and nice and just... GAHHHHHH-“</p><p>”Damnit, why do I always have to be the one that’s single? I never even knew a girl that liked me ever since Korrina moved to Kanto! I’m basically screwed!”</p><p>”You’ll find someone one day! I mean, hey, look at me. Took me 16 years, but I found the guy for me. I’ve only even known him for a few days.”</p><p>”I think you just got lucky because you’re the daughter of a famous movie star, of course everyone would love you!”</p><p>”DON’T. MENTION. IT. They’re all just utter pricks and so mean to me. Those people just wanted me for my fame and money... Well, until James came along.”</p><p>“I mean, he doesn’t know about famous you are?”</p><p>”Not really. And that’s what I like about him! He doesn’t care about my money or anything like that! He just cares about my personality, and I care for him too.”</p><p>”You sound like Serena. She’d always ramble on about how Ash was so cute and cared for her. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here without a girlfriend and working my ass off!”</p><p>”You’ve could’ve always accepted Bonnie’s offers.”</p><p>”NO I COULDN’T! MOST OF THEM WE’RE WAY TOO OLD OR WOULDN’T EVEN LIKE ME! Besides, you’ve could’ve liked me. You liked the dude in what, two days?”</p><p>”You’re not really my type, Clemont.” He stares at me stone faced in shock. He sounds pretty depressed. Then again, he’s usually like this when talking about girls.</p><p>”Hnngh, that hurts... Well, whatever you say. No need to make me feel lonely today.”</p><p>”Aw, you’ll find someone soon! What time is it?”</p><p>”Just past 3:30 PM.” It’s already 3:30?!</p><p>”Already? And James was brought in for an interview this late? Sheesh, this is horribly organized.”</p><p>”Yep. They let in entries two days before rehearsals, stage design is piss poor, and a shit ton of other things. I think even Serena complained about it.”</p><p>”Ah.” I see James coming out of the corner of my eye. “Hey, James! You’re back! How was it?”</p><p>”Fine enough. William is a bit of a character, though.”</p><p>”He really is! Come, we got nothing to do for 30 more minutes anyway.”</p><p>”All right, sure. Clemont, you in?”</p><p>”Yea, sure.”</p><p>”Cool.”</p><p>(James’ POV)</p><p>“So... what do want to do for our date-“</p><p>”ATTENTION, PERFORMERS! There are 30 minutes to performances. Please dress up IMMEDIATELY, and make final changes.” Ah. Well, shit I need to change.</p><p>”Shoot, I probably should change. Be right back.” I run to the dressing rooms along with Fennekin and Skiddo. I put on my black, furry vest under my white shirt and black pants. I make Fennekin wear it’s lil’ tutu. It actually looked pretty cute on it. Skiddo... well it stayed relatively the same. It was fearful enough. Actually, I did put a little paint on it’s face to make it look gritty. But that was it. I grab my tall ass black gnome hat and leave the room. I check the clock. 15 minutes.</p><p>”Aww, your Fennekin looks so cute! You do, too.”</p><p>“Hey, that looks decent.”</p><p>”Thanks, but it’s a bit ridiculous.”</p><p>”James, ready to go?”</p><p>”Yep, Clemont.”</p><p>”Well, I hope we can go against each other in the final! That would be sweet.”</p><p>”Diantha? Oh, it’s the two lovebirds... I saw the whole thing. How f*cking pathet... Clemont? You’re friends with them?!”</p><p>”Miette? Is that you? I haven’t seen you in forever!”</p><p>”Wait, Clemont, you know Miette personally?”</p><p>”Shut the hell up, James. It’s nice to see you again, I guess. But why in the hell are you friends with <em>them?!</em>”</p><p>”Miette, just please calm down-“</p><p>”NO, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS GOING WRONG!” I feel a disturbance in the force. Something is about to go wrong, fast.</p><p>”Miette, listen I know you’ve rude to me and all but are you honestly OK-“</p><p>”I’M FINE! SHUT UP!” OK, that did not work at all.</p><p>“<em>All righty then...”</em></p><p>”Ugh, none of y’all understand what I’VE BEEN GOING THROUGH!” She walks away, crying. That... was awkward and a bit scary.</p><p>”I’m... so sorry for that.”</p><p>”It’s fine. I just wonder; why is she like that?” He looks around, seeming like he wants to make sure he wants no one to hear it.</p><p>”I need to be very quiet about this. Please, for the love of Arceus, keep this top secret.”</p><p>”OK, sure.”</p><p>”You may not believe me on this, but Miette used to actually have a lot of friends. Two things happened. One of those things included a boy. So, back then, like I said, she had friends. Serena even was her friend once! They had a sort of rivalry with each other. But the thing is- they also had another rivalry. Remember Ash? Yep, they both liked him. It started off kind of funny and playful- I remember one time when Serena and Miette were in a Showcase together, Miette would always tease Serena about it. It was cute.”</p><p>”So, what happened?”</p><p>”Um... she started to take it more seriously. She started to dislike Serena, as Ash was starting to like her a bit more. She really did like Ash- even if she didn’t seem like it. She was actually the first person to ask her out on a date! Well, more like a dance event thing. She tried to kiss him in private in a closet once, but-“</p><p>”PERFORMERS! Please prepare for introductions. Broadcast starts in 10 minutes.”</p><p>”WHAT THE?! 10 MINUTES?! HOLY SHIT, IT’S BEEN THAT LONG?!”</p><p>“First group, get ready in 5 minutes! Second group, 8!”</p><p>”You have got to be kidding me.” </p><p>“Well, I can stay for the finals. My dad allowed me to take the day off today with Bonnie taking my spot.”</p><p>”Hey, that’s great! We can talk about blue haired bitch later. How come no one’s noticed you, though?”</p><p>”I’m wearing normal clothes. Usually, I wear my blue jumpsuit if I want to be noticed, which is usually not under my own will.”</p><p>”So, basically appearances.”</p><p>”Yea, or other gym leader events.”</p><p>”Sounds like fun. But how’d you convince your dad to go on an adventure when you were 10?”</p><p>”Oh, I was 14 at the time. So was Ash and the crew, except Bonnie. And, really it was because Ash seemed like a nice guy, and it’s pretty safe to the point where you can go around by yourself in most parts. Serena was nice, too. My dad thought I was dating her! I only could wish, I mean, she’s cute and all, but she was so focused on Ashy that I stayed away from it.”</p><p>”Ah. What about that Korrina girl?”</p><p>“Um... should I even mention her?”</p><p>“Why not? Did she like cheat on you or something?”</p><p>Well, we had a thing for each other, and we still kind of do. Unfortunately, she moved to Kanto, and long distance relationships aren’t really all that good. Just my luck. But, while she was here, we really did like each other. She really was my first girlfriend. Even tried to kiss me once under the stars, but I got so flustered that I hid in a public bathroom out of embarrassment. I really miss her. I hope I can see her again one day.”</p><p>Well, maybe she’ll move back one day. Y’all really did have a thing for each other. Diantha, you ever go on an adventure?”</p><p>”Not my thing. My mom was always busy with things. My dad was busy also. I didn’t really have time.” Wait a minute. William said that she was the daughter of a famous movie star. That can’t be true, can it? I gotta ask her. That just can’t be... I’m in love with a famous movie star’s daughter?! And she likes me back?! </p><p>”Ah... what do your parents do?”</p><p>I see her face turn red. ”I- um...”</p><p>”What? It can’t be that bad.”</p><p>”You honestly don’t know? It’s not a bad thing, but most people do...”</p><p>“No... why?”</p><p>”Um... I don’t want you to think I’m like a rich, spoiled brat but...”</p><p>”You aren’t! You’re one of the kindest people I’ve met.”</p><p>”Thanks. But... well, to put it, my mom is an international movie star and my dad is a big stock market broker. I’ve always been in the spotlight. My parents are especially busy as of now. Mom’s out doing another movie shoot in Snowbelle. She’s done movies like <em>My Sweet, Sweet Lady </em>and had hit songs like <em>Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?. </em>My dad made a special exemption- he decided to buy a ticket and take the weekend off to visit and hang out with me. I love both of them, I really do. It’s just I never get to spend time with them. This is the first time in forever I’ve gotten to see them. I haven’t seen my mom in weeks! We do facetime and all, but it’s never really the same as in person.” Damn... being the child of a famous celebrity is rough. But... she’s just so nice and sweet through it all. Most I know usually can turn horrible! I don’t want her to be like that... she’s been such a sweetheart. I feel awful. I have the liberty to see my parents each day, even after depressing shit happens. Where does she turn to? What happens to the poor people when they have no one to turn to? I feel awful for those people. Then again, she does have the liberty to call them. It almost feels like COVID, which was 4 years ago.</p><p>”Ah... I’m so sorry. I hope you can see her again. It really sucks...” Wait. She said something that I just realized. <em>Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?</em> That’s from <em>My Fair Lady</em>! What the hell is this sorcery?! </p><p>”Wait, you know the song <em>Wouldn’t It Be Loverly</em>?”</p><p>”Yeah?”</p><p>”Like the one that goes, ‘All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, in one enormous chair, oh wouldn’t it be loverly?” Yep, I’m a musical nerd. It feels like a Winter’s Ball up in this joint. I’m somehow reliable with the ladies. Back to the story.</p><p>”Yeah? You know it? That’s so cool!”</p><p>”Well, I didn’t know it was your mom’s work!” Way to steal Audrey Hepburn’s thunder, mother of Diantha. But, can’t reveal that, y’know, I’m from another world. Gotta keep it hush-hush. Clemont looks at me like I’m an idiot. I already told you I’m from another world, Clemont.</p><p>”You really didn’t know? That’s like her most famous song, James, you absolute puta-“</p><p>”GROUP ONE, GO TO THE CURTAINS! Broadcast starts in 2 minutes! May Arceus bless you, and may the odds be in your favor.</p><p>”Well, here we go! You’re gonna do great, Diantha.”</p><p>“Thanks, you too!” I hear the crowd roar.</p><p>”Well, I’ll just sit here in James’ spot. Good luck, you two.”</p><p>”Thanks.” I then hear M. Pierre’s voice on the PA again. </p><p>“Bienvenue, and welcome to the Rookie Class Showcase in Lumiose City!” The crowd wildly roars and just about shakes the building a bit. “I’d love to welcome you all to see where names are made! Nine contestants shall perform in a semi-final and final that no one knows, not even the competitors! It’ll be a big surprise. Now, the broadcast will start soon. When you hear the all famous theme, just go nuts! Be wild! Cheer for your favorite!” They roar even louder. Jesus. Y’all do know we’re the rookies, right?</p><p>”Well, good luck, James. I’ll be rooting for you.”</p><p>”Thanks, man. I’ll try to impress you.” I hear singing. It’s coming from the crowd. Nine thousand people in unity singing the Showcasing theme. It was a bit heartwarming. Then, I hear the PA. It’s the theme.</p><p>The crowd gets even more insane. My ears are about ready to pop. You can barely hear the theme. I mutter under my breath. </p><p>“Well... I guess this is it. It’s do or die.” I’m not exactly too nervous. Thoughts run through my head. I think of my family, my friends I knew. Clemont. Diantha. Miette. Everyone I’ve met so far. I want to make them all proud. Even Miette. I am the Unknown. No one knows your name.</p><p>”Ship is in the harbor now, see if you can spot him</p><p>Another immigrant coming up from the bottom</p><p>His enemies destroyed his rep, America forgot him</p><p>There’s a million things you haven’t done, but just you wait</p><p>What’s your name, man?”</p><p>I am James. James McNeely. I don’t give a damn about how weird my last name is. I’ll make sure it’s known damn well in this world. Kneel to the King. Let’s do this fucking thing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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